niiiinHniiininiuni 


piiiiiiiiii 

The  CONQUEST  of 

The  CROSS  in 


JACOB   SPEICHER. 


tihvaxy  of  Che  theological  ^tminavy 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


•«^j> 


PRESENTED  BY 


Delavan  L.  Plerson 
BV  J41b  :"S73  iyo7  * 
Speicher,  Jacob,  b.  1866. 
The  conquest  of  the  cross  i 
China 


THE 


W 


VETERAN  LEADERS  IN  CHINA  MISSIONS 
J.  Hudson  Taylor  (at  left),  Griffith  John  (centre),  and  W.  A.  P.  Martin 

(at   right).     Combined  service,    156  years 


.<«>>*^  "^ 


THE     CONQUEfe^^ 


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^ 


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OF  THE 

CROSS  IN   CHINA 


^lu...  ..^^ 


.l''iiuflL  a't»V 


BY 


JACOB  SPEICHER 

American  Baptist  Mission,  Kityang,  South  China. 


Introduction  by 
REV.  WILLIAM  ASHMORE,  D.  D. 


New  York         Chicago         Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

London       and       Edinburgh 


Copyright,   1907,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  80  Wabash  Avenue 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:       100    Princes    Street 


To  my  wife  : 

My  faithful  helpmeet^  who  is  a  blessing  to 

many  in  this  glorious  work. 

To  the  faculties  and  students  of  Colgate 
University  and  Seminaryy  in  memory 
of  the  pleasant  term  spent  with  them. 

To  the  faculties  of  the  University  of 
Rochester  and  the  Rochester  Theological  Seminary, 
my  former  teachers  ^  who  have  inspired 
the  writer  with  the  best  this  book  may  contain. 


CONTENTS 

Introduction,  By  Rev.  William  Ashmore,  D,  D.  ,       1 1 
Preface 23 

/.     Characteristics  of  the  Chinese  People 

I.  China,  Her  Country  and  Her  People 

II.  China  and  the  Problems  of  the  Far  East  . 

III.  A  Review  of  Christian  Missions  in  China  . 
IV        The  Domestic   Political  Situation  in  China 


V.  The  Power  of  Superstition  and  Demonology  over 

THE  Minds  of  the  Chinese 

VI.  How  THE   Chinese  are  Brought  Into  the  King 

DOM       ....... 


27 
49 
7+ 
90 


06 
23 


//.     The  Foreign  Missionary  in  China 

VII.  Essentials  OF  A  Successful  Missionary  Career      .  143 

VIII.  The  Political  Status  of  the  Missionary  in  China  161 

IX.  The  Social  Status  of  the  Missionary  in  China  .  177 

X.  The   Family  Life  of  the  Missionary  in  China  .  193 

///.     Missionary  Methods  in  China 

XI.  The  New  Testament,  the  Model  for   Church 

Planting  and  Church  Training  .  .  .     209 

XII.  Pioneer   Sowing  and  Planting         .  .  .226 

XIII.  Training     and    Development    of    the    Local 

Church      .......     241 

7 


8  Contents 

XIV.  The  Use  and  Misuse  of  Mission  Money  .         .258 

XV.  Opening  Mission  Stations  in  South  China         .     277 

XVI.  Churches  and   Outstations   on    the    Kityang 

Field 290 

IV.    Problems  of  the  Chinese  Local 
Churches 

XVII.  Intensive  and  Extensive  Methods  of  the  King- 

dom   .         .         .         .         .         .         .         '3^3 

XVIII.  The  Chinese  Church  and  the  Foreign  Mission- 

ary   ........     327 

XIX.  Chinese  Local  Churches  ;  Self-Supporting  and 

Self-Sustaining  ......     341 

XX.  Chinese  Preachers,  Their    Call  to  the  Min- 

istry and  Their  Training     .  ,  -353 

Index     ...•••••     367 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Facing  Page. 

Veteran  Leaders  in  China  Missions "^^^^f- 

The  "  Fu-tsi-Miao,"  or  Confucian  Temple  at  Nanking  .  38 
Buddhist  Temple  on  Island  of  Pu-ti  .  .  •  •        3^ 

Ichang  Pagoda,  Ichang,  Upper  Yangtse  River  ...  74 
A  Typical  Ancestral  Temple  at  Hun  Lou  near  Swatow  .  109 
Worshipping  at  the  Ancestor's  Grave         .  .  •  .      1 24 

Rev.  William  Ashmore,  D.  D.  Fifty-four  Years  in  China,  152 
Group  of  Chinese  Students,  Yachow,  West  China       .  .181 

A  Family  Group.     Three  Generations      .  .  .         •      '94 

A  Preacher  and  His  Wife 221 

Chinese  at  a  Chapel  "  Hall  of  True  Doctrine  '*  .  .     236 

Chapel    of  American    Baptist    Mission,   Hanyang,   Central 

China ^^° 

Schools   Old  and  New.      Old  Examination  Hall,  Chontu, 

West  China ^71 

Nan  Yang  College,  Shanghai 271 

Mission  School  for  Boys,  Kinhv^a,  East  China  .  .  .271 

Mission  School  at  Sing  Hu,  near  Kityang  .  •  .271 

Chart   Illustrating  growth  of  Church  and  Missions  on  the 

Kityang  Field -290 

Market   Place  in  Full  Blast  in  Market-town  of  Lai-pu-sua, 

near  Kityang  ....•••      3^7 

"Heads  and  Tails,"  A  Street  Scene  in  Shanghai.     A  Fes- 
tal  Occasion  .....••      3^4 
Group  of  Native  Preachers,  Ningpo        .  .  •  -354 


INTRODUCTION 

Mr.  Speicher,  the  author  of  this  book,  has  requested 
me  to  prepare  for  it  a  word  of  introduction.  He  has  also 
suggested  that  a  glance  at  the  progress  of  missions  in 
China  through  its  first  century  might  be  serviceable  to 
the  readers  of  missionary  literature.  With  both  the  re- 
quest and  the  suggestion  I  comply  with  the  greatest 
pleasure,  partly  out  of  appreciation  of  himself  personally, 
with  whom  I  was  at  one  time  associated  in  mission  work 
in  the  field  which  he  occupies  in  South  China,  and  partly 
as  a  tribute  to  the  zeal,  the  energy  and  the  discriminating 
tact  which  he  has  shown  from  the  beginning. 

The  missionary  century  in  China  begins  with  1 807,  for 
in  that  year  Dr.  Morrison,  the  pioneer  of  them  all,  landed 
at  Canton. 

It  must  be  said,  however,  to  the  credit  of  the  English 
Baptists,  that  though  not  first  to  enter  the  field,  they 
were  first  to  undertake  work  for  the  Chinese  in  the  way 
of  translating  the  Scriptures.  That  distinguished  trio  of 
translators,  Carey,  Marshman  and  Ward,  whose  translat- 
ing aspirations  were  boundless,  among  other  things  under- 
took to  translate  the  Gospels  and  the  Acts.  In  a  list  of 
missionaries  who  have  worked  for  the  Chinese,  printed  at 
the  Presbyterian  Press  and  prepared  by  Mr.  Holt,  at  that 
time  superintendent,  appears  at  the  head  of  the  list,  since 
swollen  to  many  thousands,  this  initial  entry : 
Rev.  J.  Marshman,  1799 

Next  in  order  came  Robert  Morrison  in  1807. 

The  missionary  movement  in  China  during  the  century 

II 


1 2  Introduction 

now  about  to  end  may  be  divided  into  four  periods  ac- 
cording to  outward  happenings,  but  as  regards  inward 
experiences,  into  four  stages.  The  time  periods  are  dis- 
tinctly marked  by  wars.  The  missionaries  had  nothing 
to  do  with  any  of  these  wars  but  they  took  advantage  of 
them  to  step  in.  Thus  it  has  happened  over  and  over 
again  that  God  has  made  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him. 
These  various  miUtary  upheavals  are  the  fulfillment  of  the 
declaration,  "  I  will  turn  and  overturn  until  He  shall 
come  whose  right  it  is  to  reign."  The  stages,  however, 
indicative  of  processes,  are  not  so  distinctly  marked. 
They  overlap  one  another,  commencing  in  one  period 
and  running  over  into  a  second  one,  especially  in  recent 
years. 

The  First  Period 
(i8oy-i8^2 —  Thirty- Five  Years) 

This  may  be  called  the  period  of  prospecting,  the 
period  of  surveying  round  about.  The  missionaries  were 
not  yet  allowed  freedom  of  access  to  China.  Accord- 
ingly, the  few  who  followed  Dr.  Morrison  were  obliged 
to  work  at  very  long  range.  Some  settled  at  Singapore, 
some  at  Batavia,  some  at  Penang  and  some  at  Bangkok, 
and  there  they  commenced  studying  the  language,  pre- 
paring vocabularies,  making  translations  and  learning 
how  to  preach  to  the  Chinese  emigrants  who  lived  in 
those  places.  Robert  Morrison  and  a  very  few  others 
managed  to  shelter  themselves  in  Macao  and  in  some  of 
the  by-lanes  of  the  contracted  foreign  settlement  in 
Canton. 

The  jealousy  of  the  Chinese  was  intense.  The  mission- 
aries were  watched  and  denounced  and  defulminated 
against  by  officials  who  watched  them  with  the  eyes  of  a 


Introduction  13 

lynx  and  pursued  them  with  the  vigour  of  a  sleuth-hound. 
The  reason  for  this  was  well-known  to  them,  nor  is  it  the 
least  surprising,  for  they  had  seen  that  elsewhere  the 
foreigner  was  aggressive  and  grasping.  They  had  seen 
India  taken  by  the  EngHsh,  the  Philippines  by  Spain  and 
Java  by  the  Dutch.  They  feared  their  turn  would  come 
next  and  that  they  might  have  to  fight  to  the  death  to 
maintain  their  national  independence.  So  the  settled 
policy  of  the  officials  was  to  prevent  the  foreigner  from 
gaining  another  inch  and  if  possible  to  wrest  from  his 
hand  advantages  he  had  already  gained.  Still  another 
consideration  actuated  their  hostihty.  The  Romish 
priests  had  been  in  the  country  for  about  300  years.  At 
first  they  had  been  kindly  received  and  if  they  had  been 
less  grasping,  China  to-day  would  have  been  almost  as 
Roman  Catholic  as  the  states  of  South  America  are. 
But  they  were  ambitious  of  power.  They  sought  polit- 
ical control  and  consequently  were  continually  in  collision 
with  the  officials,  who  learned  to  distrust  them  and  to 
hate  them.  But  the  missionaries  had  another  source  of 
difficulty.  The  British  East  India  Company  was  relent- 
lessly hostile  and  made  trouble  for  them  in  every  pos- 
sible way.  They  thought  that  the  success  of  missions 
would  interfere  with  their  trade  and  so  they  were  not  only 
severe  themselves,  but  they  led  the  natives  to  be  severe. 

It  will  be  seen,  of  course,  that  the  missionaries  were  to 
have  a  hard  time  of  it.  They  became  heirs  to  all  the  dis- 
trust and  all  the  aversion  which  had  been  accumulating 
for  300  years  against  foreign  merchants  and  Romish 
priests.  It  was  not  difficult  to  make  the  Chinese  officials 
believe  that  Protestant  missionaries  were  only  a  branch 
of  the  hated  Jesuits.  Many  of  our  doctrines  were  the 
same  and  though  we  had  no  pope  we  talked  about  the 


14  Introduction 

same  God  and  the  same  Saviour,  and  were  both  bent  on 
gaining  converts.  The  officials  beheved,  many  of  them, 
and  the  common  people  were  taught  to  believe  that  we 
were  the  emissaries  of  a  foreign  power  and  that  if  they 
did  not  curb  us  we  would  soon  bring  down  upon  them  a 
fleet  of  fire-ships  and  an  army  of  red-bristled  barbarians. 
Is  it  any  wonder  they  hated  us  and  that  we  had  a  very 
hard  time  to  gain  a  foot-hold  or  receive  the  consideration 
of  a  common  hospitality  ? 

So  passed  away  the  first  thirty-five  years.  We  have 
but  little  to  show  for  all  the  effort  put  forth  by  those 
sacrificing  men  and  women.  When  the  time  was  up 
there  were  only  six  known  converts  among  the  Chinese 
all  told,  inside  and  outside  of  the  empire.  During  the 
thirty-five  years  there  were  enrolled  as  missionaries  to  the 
Chinese  about  sixty  names  of  men  and  at  least  forty 
wives.  With  the  exception  of  Dr.  Morrison  himself,  who 
was  allowed  to  remain  in  Canton  as  a  translator,  the 
others  were  all  scattered  at  various  outposts,  at  Bangkok, 
at  Singapore,  at  Batavia,  waiting  and  watching.  While 
some  few  had  broken  down  and  had  gone  home,  the  bulk 
of  them  were  still  waiting  and  watching  and  hoping. 

This  may  have  seemed  Hke  a  great  waste  of  missionary 
material,  time  and  energy,  but  it  was  not  so.  In  God's 
economy  nothing  is  ever  wasteful  of  the  resources  of  His 
servants.  He  had  a  great  work  for  them  ;  He  had  a  great 
preparation  for  them.  They  were,  in  fact,  like  expectant 
soldiers  in  a  training  camp,  getting  ready  for  the  cam- 
paigning that  was  to  be.  Had  these  men,  in  their  com- 
plete ignorance  of  Asiatic  character  and  conditions  been 
sent  without  training  among  Chinese  in  their  own  land, 
they  would  have  committed  many  sad  blunders  and  laid 
themselves  open  to  the  reprehension  of  Chinese  officials. 


Introduction  i^ 

Therefore  we  see  divine  wisdom  in  locating  them  among 
outside  Chinese  to  get  their  preliminary  schooling  under 
foreign  rulership  where  the  mandarins  could  not  get  at 
them. 

Among  the  missionaries,  thus  going  to  school  outside, 
there  were  such  men  as  Milne,  Medhurst,  Dyer,  Gutzlaff, 
Bridgeman,  S.  Wells  Williams,  Dean,  Goddard,  the 
Stronachs,  Lockhart,  Legge  and  Hepburn.  These  men 
were  among  some  of  the  bravest  that  have  ever  been  in 
China.  Some  of  them  were  to  be  translators,  some  of 
them  were  to  be  dictionary  makers,  some  of  them  were 
to  be  printers,  some  of  them  were  to  found  hospitals  and 
some  of  them  were  to  start  printing  presses.  During  all 
this  time  they  were  in  God's  training  school,  getting  ready 
for  the  work  they  soon  were  to  do.  We  speak  of  it  here 
to  show  the  hand  manifest  in  the  preparation  of  mission 
agencies  at  the  various  stages  of  the  work.  God  prepares 
His  own  tools  as  they  may  be  needed. 

The  Second  Period 
{18^2-1860 — Ezghteeft  Years) 

It  will  be  seen  that  now  God's  work  was  ready  for  an 
advance.  His  servants  had  been  trained  and  were  all 
ready.  The  war  of  1842,  usually  called  the  Opium  War, 
was  now  on.  When  it  was  ended,  five  seaports  were 
opened  in  China  at  which  missionaries  were  allowed  to 
reside,  as  well  as  merchants.  As  soon  as  the  treaty  was 
signed,  the  missionaries  came  rushing  in  from  the  differ- 
ent outposts  where  they  were  and  established  themselves 
at  Canton,  at  Amoy,  at  Fuchow,  at  Ningpo  and  at 
Shanghai. 

These  eighteen  years  are  filled  with  new  and  advanced 
forms  of  work.     The   missionaries  were  now  out  of  the 


l6  Introduction 

training  camp  and  in  the  battle-field.  The  Christian  and 
the  Confucianist  now  began  to  measure  their  swords  with 
each  other.  Converts  began  to  be  made,  but  they  were 
few  in  number  and  brought  with  them  a  deal  of  trouble 
and  anxiety  for  the  missionary,  so  that  the  chief  char- 
acteristics of  the  period  were  its  infantile  proportions  and 
kindergarten  experiences.  The  missionaries  had  to  learn 
how  to  evangehze.  They  had  also  to  meet  with  and 
solve  those  initial  problems  always  attendant  upon  the 
putting  off  of  an  old  faith  and  the  putting  on  of  a  new 
one.  Some  of  these  problems  the  missionary  never  had 
at  home;  they  included  such  things  as  polygamy,  meats 
offered  to  idols  and  enforced  participation  in  idolatry, 
such  as  Naaman  said  he  would  have  when  he  attended 
his  master  when  he  went  to  worship  in  the  temple  of  his 
God.  This  period  was  also  taken  up  with  the  mutual 
taking  of  measurements,  the  missionaries  taking  the 
measure  of  the  Chinese  at  home  and  the  people  of  China 
taking  the  measure  of  the  missionaries.  Much  time  had 
also  to  be  spent  in  providing  facilities,  like  grammars  and 
lexicons,  in  settling  upon  and  testing  ecclesiastical  and 
theological  terms,  the  latter  of  itself  an  indispensable 
prerequisite  to  efficiency  in  missionary  progress.  Eight- 
een years  was  none  too  long  a  time  for  all  this.  Indeed 
the  work  was  very  much  hurried  as  it  was,  but  when  it 
was  completed,  it  furnished  another  illustration  of  the 
completeness  of  God's  tutelage  of  His  militant  forces,  and 
now  they  were  ready  for  the  next  period. 

The  Third  Period 
{i86o-i8g^ —  Thirty-five  years) 

Hitherto  the  work  had  really  been  preparatory.     The 
reaping  time  was  now  to  begin.     The  missionaries  and 


Introduction  17 

the  Confucianists  had  carefully  taken  each  other's 
measure  and  they  were  now  ready  for  the  clutch. 

The  officials  on  their  side  had  seen  the  peril  looming 
up  in  the  distance,  but  they  had  been  under  no  particular 
apprehension  as  yet.  Nevertheless  a  secret  circular  was 
sent  out  by  the  noted  Tseng  Kwo  Fan,  a  man  of  great 
abihty.  He  saw  the  spirit  of  the  missionaries  and  that  it 
would  be  very  difficult  to  keep  them  down.  Neverthe- 
less he  spoke  disparagingly  of  them  and  their  expecta- 
tions. Christianity,  he  said,  would  never  supplant  Con- 
fucianism. Their  great  sage,  he  declared,  was  un- 
paralleled and  unapproachable.  At  the  same  time  the 
officials  all  over  the  empire  were  told  to  be  watchful.  It 
was  soon  made  manifest  that  the  missionaries  were  to 
have  a  powerful  influence  against  them.  Missionaries 
were  to  be  resisted  and  foreigners  were  to  be  driven 
back.  Insidious  but  characteristic  tactics  were  resorted 
to.  Mobs  began  to  be  stirred  up.  These  mobs,  if  not 
directly  originating  with  the  yamens,  were  soon  found  to 
be  stimulated  by  them.  When  foreign  officials  lodged 
complaint  of  a  violation  of  a  treaty  and  demanded  the 
issuance  of  proper  proclamations,  the  proclamations 
were  at  once  given  in  huge  black  letters,  but  at  the  same 
time,  a  private  circular  would  be  sent  to  these  officials, 
to  make  it  of  no  effect. 

The  common  people  soon  came  to  understand  the 
state  of  the  case.  As  a  consequence,  a  mob-spirit  be- 
came rampant.  This,  therefore,  was  a  period  marked  by 
outrages  on  person,  property  and  converts.  Converts 
were  persecuted,  missionaries  were  assaulted  and  driven 
out  of  cities,  where  their  houses  were  sacked  and 
burned. 

And  yet  it  became  evident  that  the  reaping  had  begun. 


i8  Introduction 

Converts  began  to  be  multiplied  and  this  notwithstanding 
persecutions  in  violence.  It  was  surprising  how  the 
gospel  began  to  grip  many  of  the  common  people.  In 
some  of  the  old  missionary  fields  which  had  long  been 
considered  barren,  were  now  movements  which  be- 
tokened the  presence  of  the  Spirit.  Those  old  mission- 
aries, some  of  whom  had  died  without  the  sight,  were 
now  found  ready  to  make  people  prepared  for  the  Lord. 
In  Fokien  Province  the  inquirers  soon  became  num- 
bered by  thousands  and  there  were  also  thousands  of 
baptisms.  Indeed  the  more  the  church  was  persecuted 
the  more  it  grew  and  prospered,  as  has  always  been  the 
case  since  Christianity  began.  Bunyan's  allegory  was 
being  fulfilled  in  China :  a  man  dashing  on  water  in 
front  to  extinguish  the  flame  and  a  man  pouring  in  oil 
behind  to  keep  it  going. 

Not  only  in  some  of  the  old  stations  but  also  in  some 
of  the  new  ones  there  were  great  awakenings,  which  to 
heathen  observers  were  inexplicable.  In  Formosa  multi- 
tudes began  to  turn  to  the  Lord,  and  in  Manchuria  con- 
verts commenced  to  come  in  by  hundreds  and  by  thou- 
sands. The  carts  began  to  groan  under  the  sheaves. 
The  outlook  for  Christianity  became  wonderfully  promis- 
ing. Others,  both  of  the  older  fields  and  of  the  new 
fields,  began  to  have  their  trophies.  China  which  so  long 
had  been  called  a  hard  field,  now  began  to  be  one  of  the 
most  hopeful. 

There  were,  however,  some  heavy  drawbacks.  On  the 
one  hand  missionaries  were  severely  criticised,  but  most 
undeservedly,  by  some  of  the  officials  of  their  own 
governments.  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  sought  and 
obtained  a  political  status  and  recognition.  Protestant 
missionaries  refused  this  status  which  was  offered  to  them 


Introduction  ig 

as  an  offset,  but  they  were  blamed  all  the  same.  The 
ambitions  and  the  meddlesomeness  of  the  Jesuit  priests 
were  attributed  to  the  Protestants.  The  latter  suffered 
heavily  in  consequence.  Although  they  may  have  had 
some  indiscretions  of  their  own  and  for  which  they  were 
willing  to  take  rebuke,  these  were  petty  compared  with 
things  attributed  to  them  of  which  they  were  entirely 
innocent.  All  the  time  the  work  went  on.  As  of  old 
the  walls  were  being  built  in  troublous  times.  A  con- 
spicuous feature  of  this  period  was  the  starting  of  the 
China  Inland  Mission  by  Hudson  Taylor.  The  members 
of  this  mission  soon  increased  to  hundreds.  Their  con- 
verts were  few  at  first,  as  was  to  be  expected,  for  they 
broke  an  entirely  new  ground.  Before  the  period  was 
up,  however,  they  too  began  to  gather  in  converts,  who 
came  like  doves  to  their  windows. 

The  greatest  single  event  of  this  period  was  the  con- 
ference of  all  the  missionaries  in  China,  who  met  at 
Shanghai.  There  were  more  than  four  hundred  of  them. 
They  spent  two  weeks  together,  three  sessions  a  day, 
comparing  notes,  telling  experiences,  discussing  ways  and 
means  and  preparing  for  an  advance  movement  all  along 
the  line,  in  evangehzation,  in  education,  in  translation, 
in  printing  and  publishing,  in  medical  work  and  in  all  the 
subordinate  branches  of  mission  work.  One  of  the 
things  they  agreed  upon  was  to  send  a  call  for  five  hun- 
dred new  missionaries,  a  daring  stride  of  faith  which  has 
since  been  justified  by  the  results.  The  increase  in 
strength  of  tone,  the  broadening  out  of  purpose 
generated  by  that  conference,  was  simply  enormous. 
The  effect  upon  the  Christian  churches  of  Europe  and 
America  was  also  enormous.  In  a  subordinate  degree  a 
similar  effect  was  produced  upon  heathen  China.     Their 


20  Introduction 

leaders,  their  viceroys,  their  governors  and  their  taotais^ 
wondered  what  it  all  meant  with  a  stupefied  wonder  and 
startled  incredulity. 

Another  characteristic  of  this  period  was  the  effort  of 
the  Chinese  Government  to  gather  itself  together  and  to 
become  assertive  against  further  foreign  encroachments 
and  also  to  become  progressive.  The  former  manifested 
itself  in  the  formation  of  a  fleet  of  war  vessels,  com- 
menced under  Mr.  Horatio  N.  Lay,  the  general  inspector 
of  customs,  and  carried  on  under  the  present  general  in- 
spector, Mr.  Hart.  There  was  also  a  grand  beginning 
made  in  a  commercial  marine.  An  account  of  these 
things  belongs  rather,  but  not  wholly,  to  political  history. 
On  that  account  further  mention  of  them  at  present  can 
be  omitted,  though  the  influence  and  development  of 
China  have  been  great. 

The  Fourth  Period 
[iSg^-igoy — Twelve  Years) 

This  has  been  the  culminating  period,  a  period  in 
which  all  the  influences,  foreign  and  domestic,  emanating 
from  China's  relation  to  foreign  nations,  were  brought  to 
a  head.  That  was  the  harvest  time  of  the  ages.  The 
events  which  followed  have  been  portentous  and  tre- 
mendous. Leading  off  was  the  Boxer  Movement,  a 
spasmodic  and  fruitless  attempt  to  drive  out  foreigners. 
Then  there  was  the  reform  movement,  headed  by  the 
sons  of  viceroys  and  high  officials  and  even  the  emperor 
himself.  It  was  attended  also  with  a  relegation  into  the 
background  of  the  young  emperor  himself  and  of  the 
assumption  again  of  power  by  the  empress  dowager. 
Since  then  the  whole  nation  has  been  staggering  to  and 
fro  like  a  drunken  man.     It  is,  however,  beginning  to 


Introduction  2 1 

get  steady  on  its  feet  and  is  destined  to  become  a  political 
power  in  Asia,  a  vast  factor  in  the  industrial  world  and  a 
looming  personality  in  the  rehgious  world.  Latterly, 
the  reform  movement,  which  seemed  for  a  time  to  have 
been  killed,  has  developed  a  new  Hfe,  and  taken  vast 
strides  to  the  front,  strides  that  are  almost  inconceivable, 
and  but  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  would  have  been  un- 
believable. Foot-binding  has  received  its  death-blow. 
The  vice  of  opium  smoking  has  been  taken  in  hand  and 
in  the  end  will  be  throttled.  The  old  examination  sys- 
tem has  been  dethroned  and  a  new  one  has  started  in  its 
place.  A  postal  system  has  been  inaugurated.  Rail- 
roads have  been  projected  from  north  to  south  and  east 
to  west  covering  thousand  of  miles.  Religiously,  China 
has  shown  signs  of  breaking  with  the  past.  To  be  sure, 
she  has  recently  apotheosized  Confucius  by  imperial  de- 
cree. But  as  a  matter  of  fact  this,  too,  is  a  concession 
to  the  power  and  influence  of  Christianity.  Christian 
students  who  are  very  assertive  are  becoming  numerous. 
They  take  the  ground  that  they  can  worship  God  only, 
whereas  Confucius  was  but  a  man.  In  their  parblindness 
they  have  said,  "  Well,  then,  we  will  exalt  Confucius  to  a 
place  among  the  gods  and  your  scruples  will  be  done 
away  with."  This  elevation  of  their  sage  is  but  a  pre- 
cursor to  his  fall.  An  eagle  takes  an  oyster  high  up 
into  the  air  in  order  to  let  it  fall  heavily  upon  the  rock 
and  break  the  shell.  So  will  it  be  with  this  assumption  of 
divinity. 

The  miUions  of  China  are  on  the  move.  They  are 
awake  only  in  parts,  still  dozing,  many  of  them,  and  still 
rubbing  their  eyes  ;  others  of  them,  looking  around  with 
dazed  countenances  and  wondering  where  they  are  going 
next.     Where  will  the  head  of  the  Chinese  column  be 


22  Introduction 

twenty-five   years   from   now  ?     Where   will  it   be  fifty 
years  from  now  ? 

The  writer  of  this  introduction  would  include  a  word 
of  appreciation  of  the  work  Mr.  Speicher  is  doing  in 
Kityang.  The  field  he  occupies  is  magnificent.  He  is 
cultivating  it  with  uncommon  skill  and  with  great  suc- 
cess, and  is  developing  to  an  unusual  degree  the  graces 
and  the  resources  of  the  members.  It  is  one  of  the 
gratifications  of  the  present  writer  that  he  is  permitted 
to  have  so  trustworthy  a  successor  to  whom  to  commit 
the  work  started  by  him  and  carried  on  in  its  early  devel- 
opment with  blundering  steps  and  blinding  tears.  Many 
saints  have  already  gone  on,  and  multitudes  more  will 
follow  with  the  years  to  come.  A  goodly  and  paying 
heritage  has  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union  in 
that  Kityang  mission  field. 

William  Ashmore,  D.  D. 


PREFACE 

The  contents  of  this  book  represent  twenty  of  the 
thirty-two  lectures  which  the  writer  deHvered  at  the 
Theological  Seminary  of  Colgate  University  while  oc- 
cupying the  lectureship  in  Practical  Missions. 

The  aim  of  the  author  has  been  not  so  much  to  record 
what  the  foreign  missionary  societies  are  accomplishing 
through  their  representatives  on  the  foreign  field  as  to 
make  clear  the  inherent  power  of  the  small  local  churches 
scattered  throughout  the  vast  empire  of  China.  These 
spiritual  centres  are  the  most  powerful  factors  in  hasten- 
ing the  enlightenment  and  moral  regeneration  of  China 
to-day.  The  Chinese  need  proof  at  this  time  that  the 
Christian  religion  is  not  necessarily  a  foreign  religion, 
but  that  it  can  be,  and  in  fact  has  become,  indigenous. 
To  accompHsh  this  the  native  leadership  must  be  en- 
couraged. It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  writer  to  place 
the  responsibilities  of  their  own  work  upon  the  Chinese 
churches,  their  preachers  and  evangelists,  and  in  addition 
to  this  to  urge  them  to  carry  on  aggressive  mission  work 
in  a  new  district  entirely  under  their  own  control.  The 
results  have  proved  conclusively  to  the  writer  that  the 
Chinese  Christians  can  to  a  large  degree  be  entrusted 
with  the  responsibilities  and  duties  of  their  own  work 
and  that  they  have  spiritual  gifts  which  make  them 
trusted  leaders  in  the  evangelization  of  the  Chinese 
people.  Progressive  missionary  work  should  and  must 
lead  to  these  things.  The  foreign  missionary  is  only  a 
temporary  factor  in  China's  evangelization  and  the  sooner 

23 


24  Preface 

the  native  churches  are  able  and  willing  to  raise  thousands 
of  dollars  for  the  evangelization  of  their  fellow  country- 
men, and  the  sooner  the  best  men  of  the  native  church 
consider  it  an  honour  to  enter  new  mission  fields  with  a 
holy  zeal  to  evangelize  the  people,  then  the  nearer  we 
shall  be  to  the  consummation  of  our  ideals. 

With  a  definite  aim  in  view  the  writer  was  compelled 
to  omit  a  number  of  important  topics  originally  consid- 
ered in  the  course  of  lectures.  Thus  the  educational 
phase  of  the  Christian  church  in  China,  a  subject  worthy 
of  a  book  itself,  the  creation  of  a  Christian  literature, 
and  other  important  departments  of  foreign  missionary 
work,  could  not  find  space. 

The  author  is  under  deep  obligation  to  Rev.  Stacy  R. 
Warburton,  assistant  editor  of  the  Baptist  Missiojiary 
Magazine  and  formerly  a  fellow  missionary  in  South 
China,  for  his  great  kindness  in  undertaking  the  work  of 
proofreading,  of  selecting  the  illustrations  and  seeing 
the  book  through  the  press. 

Thanks  are  also  due  to  the  owners  of  the  illustrations 
used. 

If  God  uses  this  book  to  quicken  the  interest  in  foreign 
missions  the  author  will  feel  that  the  period  of  his  fur- 
lough was  not  spent  in  vain. 

J.S. 

On  Board  the  «'  Nippon  Marui'' 
October  iS^  igo6. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE 
CHINESE  PEOPLE 


I.  China,  Her  Country  and  Her  People. 

II.  China  and  the  Problem  of  the  Far  East. 

III.  A  Review  of  Christian  Missions  in  China. 

IV.  The  Domestic  Political  Situation  in  China  at 

THE  Present  Time. 

V.  The   Power   of  Superstition  and   Demonology 

over  the  Minds  of  the  Chinese. 

VI.  How  THE  Chinese  are  Brought  Into  the  King- 

dom. 


The 
Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 


CHINA,  HER  COUNTRY  AND  HER  PEOPLE 

China,  the  storm-centre  of  the  conflicts  of  the  civihzed 
powers  of  this  generation,  is  one  of  the  chosen  territories 
of  this  earth.  The  Chinese  people,  Hving  in  such  a  land, 
could  not  help  becoming  a  mighty  nation  and  drawing 
upon  themselves  the  attention  of  the  nations  of  the  world. 
The  territory  of  China  is  in  many  respects  similar  to  the 
territory  of  the  United  States  of  America.  There,  as 
here,  we  find  a  seacoast  thousands  of  miles  in  length, 
with  great  commercial  cities  clustered  about  the  impor- 
tant harbours,  the  latter  large  enough  to  receive  the 
fleets  of  all  the  nations  of  the  world.  Some  of  the  high- 
est mountains  on  earth  are  to  be  found  in  the  western 
part  of  the  empire,  from  which  flow  mighty  streams  east- 
ward, coursing  through  the  very  heart  of  the  nation  in 
their  sweep  to  the  sea.  Then  again,  the  climate  of  China 
is  as  varied  as  that  of  our  country.  There  are  vast  re- 
gions that  are  hilly  and  even  mountainous,  but  also  plains 
which  are  more  densely  populated  than  any  other  part  of 
the  world.  Here  is  suggested  one  of  the  peculiar  traits 
of  the  Chinese.  Fifteen  thousand  of  them  can  live 
crowded    together   in   hamlets   and   villages,   subsisting 

27 


28         The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

wholly  on  the  products  of  their  own  fields,  within  a 
territory  that  would  be  too  narrow  for  5,000  Europeans 
and  certainly  too  congested  for  500  Americans.  Im- 
agine 383,000,000  of  Americans,  mostly  all  tillers  of  the 
soil,  living  in  the  states  east  of  the  Mississippi  and  south 
of  the  Arkansas  Rivers  !  The  Chinese  do  it,  and  there 
are  large  tracts  of  land  still  uninhabited. 

From  whence  are  the  Chinese  people?  When  they 
arrived  in  the  land  where  they  live  at  present  they  found 
a  brown  coloured  race,  the  Miao  Tze,  living  in  most  parts 
of  the  country.  It  seems  to  be  the  general  opinion  that 
the  Chinese  originally  emigrated  from  the  southwestern 
part  of  Asia,  and  crossing  the  desert  in  the  central  part 
of  the  continent  finally  settled  along  the  Yellow  River. 
There  are  evidences  that  they  belong  to  the  Babylonian 
stock.  One  scholar  has  even  been  able  to  lay  down  a 
series  of  phonetic  laws  showing  the  growth  of  the  Chi- 
nese language  out  of  the  ancient  Babylonian.  The  Chi- 
nese themselves  have  little  knowledge  of  their  origin,  but 
from  their  traditions  and  legends  it  would  appear  that 
they  entered  China  and  settled  in  the  territory  now 
known  as  the  province  of  Shensi  over  4,000  years  ago. 
Nor  did  they  all  come  at  the  same  time.  It  is  likely  that 
one  tribe  followed  another,  the  late-comers  pushing  the 
foremost  onward  until  the  seacoast  was  reached  and  the 
aborigines  driven  out. 

Chinese  history  may  be  divided  into  five  periods : 
(i)  the  Mythological,  (2)  the  Legendary,  (3)  the  Ancient 
or  Classical,  (4)  the  Medieval  or  Traditional  and  (5)  the 
Modern  or  Reform. 

The  Mythological  Period  can  interest  us  only  in  so  far 
as  it  reveals  the  attitude  of  mind  of  the  ancient  Chinese 
towards  the  problems  of  the  universe  and  of  life.     The 


Her  Country  and  Her  People  29 

ancients  assign  myriads  of  years  to  this  period,  and  try 
in  an  anthropomorphic  manner  to  explain  the  creation  of 
the  universe  and  of  nature. 

The  Legendary  Period,  beginning  about  2900  b.  c.  and 
continuing  until  1 1 22  b.  c,  has  as  its  background  the 
country  through  which  the  Yellow  River  winds  its  course. 
The  feudal  kings  of  this  age  were  powerful  men  of  heroic 
deeds  and  the  legends  connected  with  them  remind  one 
of  the  stories  and  folk-lore  of  ancient  peoples  of  Europe. 

The  Ancient  or  Classical  Period  begins  with  the  reign 
of  the  Chou  Dynasty  in  b.  c.  11 22  and  ends  with  the 
later  Han  Dynasty  in  225  a.  d.  From  this  period  on- 
ward the  history  of  the  Chinese  people  is  based  upon 
trustworthy  records.  Lao  Tsze,  Confucius  and  Mencius 
were  of  this  period.  As  teachers  they  still  exert  the 
greatest  influence  upon  the  whole  nation.  The  books  of 
Confucius  have  been  the  classics  of  the  people,  and 
as  we  shall  see,  constitute  the  foundation  of  Chinese 
civilization.  During  the  early  part  of  this  period — the 
Chou  Dynasty — the  power  of  the  emperor  was  merely 
nominal,  as  the  empire  was  only  a  loose  aggregation  of 
feudal  states.  This  feudal  system  continued  down  to 
B.  c.  220,  when  a  tyrant  calling  himself  the  First  Emperor 
and  founding  the  Dynasty  of  Chin,  overthrew  the  entire 
political  system,  and  in  order  to  prevent  the  revival  of 
feudalism  ordered  all  the  classical  books  of  the  ancients 
to  be  destroyed.  He  succeeded  in  destroying  feudalism 
in  China  for  all  time,  but  failed  in  his  attempt  to  destroy 
the  Confucian  books.  The  Great  Wall  was  built  by  this 
ruler.  The  Han  Dynasty,  b.  c.  255-A.  d.  204,  is  con- 
sidered by  the  Chinese  as  the  Golden  Age  of  their  civili- 
zation ;  the  people  still  delight  to  call  themselves  "  Sons 
of  Han." 


30        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

The  Medieval  or  Traditional  Period  was  chiefly  char- 
acterized by  the  slavish  adherence  of  all  the  dynasties  and 
rulers  to  the  models  and  ideals  of  the  ancients.  Begin- 
ning with  the  passing  away  of  the  Three  Kingdoms, 
A.  D.  265,  this  period  continues  until  the  close  of  the 
Ming  Dynasty,  1644  a.  d.  During  the  reign  of  the 
famous  Tang  and  Sung  Dynasties,  moral  philosophy  was 
followed  by  a  few  sages.  The  coins  of  the  Sung  Dy- 
nasty, 960-1280.,  A.  D.,  show  evidence  of  prosperity  at 
that  time,  great  care  being  taken  to  produce  beautiful 
specimens  of  coins.  The  reign  of  the  MongoHan  Dy- 
nasty was  a  distinct  disaster  to  the  welfare  of  the  Chinese 
people.  The  latter,  however,  were  able  to  drive  the 
Mongols  out  of  China  proper  after  a  reign  of  eighty-eight 
years. 

The  Ming  Dynasty,  known  for  its  codification  of  laws, 
failed  after  a  reign  of  276  years  and  was  displaced  by  the 
Manchus,  who  have  ruled  over  the  destinies  of  China 
ever  since.  This  Modern  Period  may  be  characterized 
as  the  period  of  interchange  of  commerce,  political  ideas 
and  sciences  with  Western  nations.  The  Manchurian 
Dynasty  has  reluctantly  granted  the  right  to  foreigners 
to  enter  China.  Nor  are  the  Manchus  persuaded 
that  for  China  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  Western 
nations  should  be  considered  a  wise  pohcy.  Many 
Chinese  officials  look  upon  reform  as  a  necessary 
evil,  to  be  adopted  simply  for  the  sake  of  self-preserva- 
tion and  to  be  laid  aside  as  soon  as  the  pressing  danger 
has  ceased. 

The  government  of  China  may  be  called  a  patriarchal 
despotism.  The  emperor  is  the  "  Son  of  Heaven  "  and 
the  father  of  the  people.  His  power  theoretically  is  un- 
limited.    The  nation  is  held  together  by  no  constitution 


Her  Country  and  Her  People  31 

or  congress  or  even  code  of  laws.  Far  more  powerful 
than  all  these  in  its  cohesive  results  is  the  observance  of 
the  customs  of  the  ancients  by  the  dynasty.  It  would 
be  impossible  for  any  ruler  to  occupy  the  throne  of  the 
Dragon  were  he  to  ignore  these  customs.  For  example, 
one  of  the  cherished  institutions  has  been  the  civil  service 
examination,  in  which  the  most  humble  boy  could  com- 
pete with  the  richest  for  the  highest  honours  and  through 
which  he  could  become  a  powerful  factor  in  the  life  of  the 
nation.  It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the  civil  service  ex- 
amination has  been  as  a  safety-valve,  providing  a  career 
for  all  ambitious  men  who,  but  for  the  prospects  held  out 
to  them  of  becoming  leaders  of  the  people,  might  use 
their  talents  against  the  government.  Thus  while  on  the 
one  hand  the  system  of  civil  service  has  helped  the  gov- 
ernment to  get  the  very  best  men  of  the  empire  as  its 
loyal  agents,  It  has  also  protected  the  people  from  being 
governed  by  incompetent  men  who  have  been  appointed 
only  because  they  happen  to  be  relatives  of  the  emperor. 
Theoretically,  every  government  official  is  supposed  to 
have  passed  the  civil  service  examinations  and  to  have 
proved  himself  among  the  best  of  his  fellow  candidates. 
The  provisions  made  for  the  salaries  of  these  officials  are 
utterly  inadequate  and  insufficient.  Under  the  ancient 
methods  employed,  the  magistrates  and  higher  officials 
are  forced  to  resort  to  "  graft "  in  its  worst  form  in  order 
to  be  able  to  meet  the  demands  made  upon  them  by  their 
superiors.  All  government  positions  are  supposed  to  be 
the  reward  of  faithful  service.  The  truth  is  that  the  posi- 
tions are  bought  and  sold  with  a  very  definite  price  for  a 
limited  period.  The  official  at  any  given  place  cannot 
make  the  welfare  of  the  people  his  prime  object  even  if 
he  desires  to  do  so.     His  appointment  is  only  for  one 


32        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

year,  or,  in  rare  cases,  for  three  years.  This  itinerating 
of  the  whole  official  class  keeps  them  constantly  on  the 
watch  to  "  squeeze  "  money  from  the  public  in  order  that 
at  the  close  of  the  year  they  may  have  a  safe  balance 
with  which  to  buy  a  new  position.  "  No  money,  no 
official  position"  is  a  political  axiom  in  China!  And 
yet  the  officials  grow  rich.  The  magistrate  of  Kityang 
is  obliged  to  pay  from  ^60,000  to  ;^70,ooo  silver  in  ad- 
vance for  his  position  for  one  year.  During  the  past  ten 
years  nine  officials  have  succeeded  one  another  in  this 
post,  all  of  whom,  except  one  who  was  dismissed  during 
the  first  four  months  of  his  term,  have  made  from  ;^50,ooo 
to  ;^70,ooo  profit. 

This  is  practically  the  condition  throughout  the  whole 
land  of  China.  It  is  the  old  method  of  ancient  times, 
great  satraps  paying  a  certain  amount  for  the  privilege  of 
extorting  money  out  of  the  people  of  a  given  district. 
The  Manchu  rulers  may  not  be  much  worse  than  the 
rulers  of  former  dynasties,  but  the  world  has  advanced, 
making  the  antiquated  methods  of  China  appear  unrea- 
sonable and  impossible  to  the  enlightened  Western  mind. 
But  the  man  of  the  West  needs  to  use  judgment  and  dis- 
crimination when  he  undertakes  to  judge  Chinese  cus- 
toms and  institutions.  We  continually  make  the  mistake 
of  judging  Chinese  civilization  according  to  the  standards 
of  the  West.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Chinese  in  their 
narrowness  and  ignorance  make  their  own  civilization  the 
criterion  for  our  Western  civilization.  Thus  the  East  and 
the  West  continue  to  misunderstand  each  other.  To  the 
average  Occidental  the  Chinese  civilization  is  an  impossi- 
ble one.  To  the  Chinese  our  Western  civilization  appears 
to  lay  more  emphasis  on  the  material  and  mechanical 
than  on  other  things  which  are  more  important.     Each 


Her  Country  and  Her  People  33 

fails  to  understand  the  motives  of  the  other.  Only  many 
years'  residence  in  the  Far  East  can  enable  one  to  make 
proper  allowance  for  the  eccentricities  and  unusual  cus- 
toms of  a  distinct  race.  Such  a  one  will  be  slow  in  ex- 
pressing his  convictions  too  strongly,  or  condemning 
institutions  and  customs  too  readily. 

China  in  Appearance  and  Reality 
To  the  new  arrival  in  China  the  sights  and  scenes  that 
greet  him  are  likely  at  first  to  fill  him  with  disgust  and 
repulsion  against  the  inhabitants.  Imagine,  if  you  can, 
the  state  of  your  feelings  as  you  leave  your  beautiful 
ocean  steamer  to  take  your  first  glimpses  of  China  at  close 
range  by  entering  a  Chinese  city.  Of  the  coolies  work- 
ing about  the  wharves  ninety-nine  out  of  a  hundred  are 
almost  wholly  divested  of  clothing.  As  you  enter  the 
main  thoroughfare  swine  obstruct  your  way.  You  step 
to  one  side  and  immediately  you  are  ordered  to  get  out 
of  the  way  by  some  peasant  coming  up  behind  you ;  and 
as  he  passes  by  on  a  trot  you  see  that  he  is  conducting  a 
private  excavating  company  with  open  buckets.  A  few 
paces  up  the  street  you  meet  a  band  of  lepers  in  all  their 
filth  and  squalor,  who  follow  you  crying  for  alms.  Right 
and  left  you  see  men  and  boys  sitting  on  the  streets  gam- 
bling, but  they  are  so  interested  in  their  game  that  the 
sight  of  a  foreigner  does  not  affect  them.  You  notice 
that  every  little  while,  as  you  continue  your  walk,  the 
foul  odour  of  an  opium-den  offends  your  nostrils.  You 
meet  a  company  of  literary  scholars,  dressed  in  fine  silk 
gowns  and  carrying  fans  in  their  hands  (the  badge  of 
distinction),  who  as  they  pass  give  you  a  condescending 
look.  Could  you  understand  what  they  are  saying  it 
would  not  make  you  feel  flattered.     Further  on  you  hear 


34        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

the  clanging  of  the  cymbals  and  the  noise  of  a  cryer  call- 
ing out  at  the  top  of  his  voice  the  fact  that  the  magistrate 
is  coming.  The  street  is  only  six  feet  wide  at  the  most 
so  you  hastily  step  in  at  the  door  of  some  store  or  shop 
to  make  room  for  the  procession.  Presently  the  magis- 
trate passes  by,  sitting  in  a  large  sedan  chair  carried  by 
a  number  of  coolies,  and  followed  by  a  retinue  of  fifty  or 
one  hundred  young  men  and  lads  dressed  in  the  most 
comical  ragamuffin  style  ever  conceived. 

These  and  other  sights  will  greet  you  during  your  first 
hour  of  sightseeing  in  a  large  Chinese  city.  And  what 
are  your  impressions  ?  You  are  in  a  state  of  bewilder- 
ment. You  want  to  see  more  of  it  in  order  to  under- 
stand it  all,  but  the  price  on  the  nervous  system  is  too 
great.  Your  globe-trotter  does  not  want  a  second  dose ; 
he  gives  his  readers  the  benefit  of  his  first  impres- 
sions. 

And  yet  China  has  another  story  to  tell,  but  it  is  only 
to  him  who  will  settle  down  to  life  in  the  interior.  There 
he  will  gradually  come  to  understand  the  simplicity  of 
the  humble  lives  of  these  miUions.  They  represent  an 
obsolete  civilization,  and  yet  one  finds  that  they  have 
strong  moral  characteristics  that  speak  of  the  glories  of 
China's  great  past.  But  a  close  investigation  of  their  his- 
tory does  not  indicate  that  they  ever  stood  upon  a  much 
higher  plane  of  material  prosperity  than  is  known  among 
them  at  the  present  time.  True,  they  point  with  pride  to 
the  period  of  Yao  and  Shun  as  the  ideal  of  all  imperial 
dignity  and  virtues.  But  we  must  remember  that  this 
period  is  somewhat  uncertain,  having  only  tradition  for 
its  foundation.  At  that  time,  also,  the  Chinese  were  just 
emerging  from  a  semi-barbaric  state.  Hence  much  al- 
lowance must  be  made  before  we  can  place  much  reliance 


Her  Country  and  Her  People  35 

on  the  story  of  China's  ancient  material  prosperity.  In 
morals,  too,  the  past  is  exalted.  It  is  said,  for  example, 
that  during  the  period  of  the  Han  Dynasty  the  people 
were  absolutely  honest.  Any  article  lost  upon  the  public 
highways  would  lie  in  the  same  spot  until  the  owner  re- 
turned to  pick  it  up.  We  confess  that  the  moral  integrity 
of  the  Chinese  must  have  been  far  greater  than  it  is  to- 
day. And  doubtless  it  is  true  that  their  civil  service  ex- 
aminations for  public  office  were  maintained  honestly  for 
a  long  time  after  they  were  introduced,  in  the  time  of  the 
Han  Dynasty,  255  b.  c. 

Some  Ancient  Discoveries  by  the  Chinese 
It  is  not  surprising  at  all  that  a  people  whose  history 
dates  back  to  the  time  of  some  of  the  oldest  races  of 
humanity,  should  have  made  a  number  of  discoveries  that 
have  proved  valuable  to  mankind.  The  Chinese  are  not 
now  noted  for  their  inventive  turn  of  mind,  but  being 
eminently  practical  it  was  inevitable  that  during  so  many 
centuries  of  civilization  they  should  accumulate  quite  a 
number  of  inventions.  The  art  of  printing  was  discovered 
as  early  as  117  A.  d.;  although  it  was  not  until  the  eighth 
century  that  book-making  was  attempted  for  public  use. 
The  compass  was  used  by  the  Chinese  ambassadors  who 
were  sent  to  the  southern  parts  of  Asia  as  early  as 
iioo  B.  c.  Its  first  use  was  in  travelling  overland,  and 
only  later  did  sailors  make  use  of  it. 

It  is  also  maintained  that  the  Chinese  discovered  the 
making  of  gunpowder,  silk,  paper  and  porcelain.  In  the 
realm  of  science  the  Chinese  possessed  a  smattering  of 
astronomy,  mathematics  and  physics  about  a  thousand 
years  before  our  Christian  era,  although  they  never  de- 
veloped these  studies  to  any  degree. 


36        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Chinese  Literature 

The  Chinese  must  be  ranked  among  the  foremost 
nations  of  the  ancient  world  in  the  field  of  literary  pro- 
duction. Confucius,  in  b.  c.  55 ^>  compiled  his  works 
from  ancient  writings  which  had  been  handed  down  to 
his  generation.  He  was  therefore  a  transmitter  rather 
than  an  original  producer.  He  eliminated  all  undesirable 
elements  and  selected  only  that  which  he  considered 
profitable.  There  are  some  doubts  as  to  whether  the 
present  writings  represent  the  genuine  labours  of  Con- 
fucius. The  reactionary  movement  of  Shih  Huang-ti, 
B.C.  255,  against  the  books  of  Confucius  because  they 
depicted  the  life  of  the  earlier  Chow  Dynasty  was  too 
radical  for  the  people  and  his  dynasty  came  to  an  end  in 
B.C.  207  and  the  great  Han  Dynasty  was  established.  The 
rulers  of  this  new  dynasty  at  once  collected  all  the  works 
and  writings  of  Confucius.  Rewards  were  offered  for  the 
old  manuscripts  that  had  been  hidden  for  nearly  fifty 
years.  Aged  scholars  tried  to  reproduce  certain  parts  of 
the  classics  from  their  prodigious  memories.  The  inevi- 
table result  was  that  much  apocryphal  matter  was  intro- 
duced. This  is  practically  conceded  to-day  by  the  Chi- 
nese scholars,  yet  for  all  that,  to  the  mind  of  the  Chinese 
the  writings  have  not  thereby  lost  any  of  their  value. 

The  most  important  of  the  works  of  Confucius  are  the 
Shi  King  or  the  Book  of  Odes,  the  Shu  King  or  the  Book 
of  Documents,  the  Li  Ki  or  the  Book  of  Ritual,  the  Yih 
King  or  Book  of  Changes  and  the  Chun  Tsiu  or  Book 
of  Annals.  The  latter  is  said  to  be  the  original  produc- 
tion of  Confucius  himself.  It  would  take  us  too  far  from 
our  subject  to  attempt  an  estimate  of  each  of  these  books. 
Some  of  the  best  poetic  productions  from  the  Book  of  Odes, 
representing  the  social  life  of  the  Chinese  about  1000  b.  c, 


Her  Country  and  Her  People  37 

are  given  by  Dr.  J.  C.  Gibson  in  his  valuable  book  on 
"  Mission  Problems  and  Mission  Methods  in  South 
China."  Dr.  W.  A.  P.  Martin's  interesting  book  en- 
titled "  The  Lore  of  Cathay  "  gives  also  much  informa- 
tion regarding  the  above  books.  Mencius,  the  interpreter 
of  Confucius,  is  by  far  the  most  interesting  author  of  the 
ancient  Chinese.  He  lived  about  two  centuries  after  his 
great  master  and  his  influence  on  the  scholars  of  China  is 
only  second  to  that  of  Confucius.  The  Chinese  have  had 
their  quota  of  philosophers  and  poets  who  have  helped 
to  enlarge  their  literature.  The  classics  are  noted  for 
conciseness  of  statement,  which  makes  it  a  difficult  task 
to  the  translator  to  give  the  full  meaning  in  a  similar 
short  sentence.  Their  literature  is  of  a  high  moral  tone 
and  represents  the  best  of  their  ancient  civilization. 

The  Chinese  from  a  Religious  Point  of  View 
It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the  rehgious  conceptions  of 
the  Chinese  people  were  much  higher  and  more  spiritual  in 
the  early  part  of  their  history  than  during  the  later 
periods.  The  ancient  writings  often  allude  to  a  supreme 
being,  who  not  only  rules  over  the  destinies  of  all  human 
beings  but  is  righteous  and  benevolent  in  all  his  actions. 
The  modern  Chinese  conception  of  their  gods,  however, 
has  drifted  far  from  this  lofty  truth.  It  is  indeed  an  open 
question  whether  it  is  safe  to  maintain  that  the  worship 
of  this  supreme  being  was  really  the  worship  of  the  only 
and  true  God.  In  olden  times  this  God,  called  by  the 
Chinese  Shiang  Ti  or  Supreme  God,  was  offered  sacri- 
fices and  homage  by  kings  and  emperors,  who  acted  as 
high  priests  for  the  people.  This  worship  is  continued 
to  this  day  by  the  emperor,  who  once  every  year 
offers  sacrifice  to  Shiang  Ti.     Several  forms  of  prayer 


38        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

offered  by  ancient  kings  at  the  time  of  offering  sacrifices 
to  the  Supreme  Deity  have  been  handed  down  to  us  and 
they  prove  conclusively  that  the  farther  back  we  go,  the 
clearer  conception  of  the  spiritual  we  find  the  Chinese  to 
have.  The  impress  of  Confucius  has  erased  all  that, 
however.  He  deliberately  suppressed  all  subjective  feel- 
ing in  rehgion  and  gave  the  subject  consideration  only 
in  the  form  of  elaborate  ritual  and  ceremonies  as  applied 
to  state  officials.  Being  of  a  practical  turn  of  mind,  he 
eliminated  all  speculation  regarding  man's  hereafter  and 
appHed  himself  the  more  to  a  rigorous  system  of  ethics, 
which  found  its  highest  development  in  filial  piety.  An- 
cestor worship,  which  to-day  is  an  integral  part  of  the 
Confucian  system,  was  not  in  ancient  times  the  rigid 
system  it  is  to-day. 

With  the  introduction  of  the  tablet,  upon  which  the 
name  of  the  ancestor  was  written  (perhaps  200  b,  c),  an- 
cestor worship  became  an  iron-clad  system.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  exaggerate  the  influence  of  this  institution 
over  the  lives  of  the  Chinese.  In  certain  parts  of  South 
China,  during  the  early  months  of  spring  all  the  male 
inhabitants  visit  the  graves  of  their  chief  ancestor.  It  is 
a  reunion  of  the  clan.  At  such  a  time  we  may  see  the 
aristocratic  mandarin,  home  for  a  short  visit  from  a  far 
distant  province,  a  respectable  number  of  literati,  mer- 
chants from  various  parts  of  the  empire,  artisans  and 
peasants,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  mighty  and  the 
humble, — one  great  family  gathered  around  the  grave  of 
their  common  ancestor,  who  may  have  departed  this  life 
500  or  1,000  years  ago.  A  stranger  is  out  of  place  on 
such  an  occasion.  The  faithful  worshippers  have  brought 
with  them  a  number  of  slaughtered  swine,  goats,  chick- 
ens, geese,  etc.,  to  offer  to  the  departed  spirit.     They 


THE   -FU-TSI-MIAO," 
or  Confucian  Temple  at  Nanking 


BUDDHIST  TEMPLE  ON  ISLAND  OF  PU-TI, 

The  most  sacred  place  in  Chinese  Buddhism 


Her  Country  and  Her  People  39 

spend  the  larger  part  of  the  day  at  the  grave  feasting 
and  debating  regarding  the  welfare  of  the  clan.  Before 
they  leave,  they  cover  the  grave  with  gold  paper  and 
burn  paper  models  of  articles  used  in  life,  on  the  suppo- 
sition that  the  spirit  will  thus  be  suppHed  with  all  the 
necessities  of  its  existence.  This  yearly  gathering  is  in 
a  sense  the  most  important  event  of  the  year.  A  man 
is  judged  according  to  the  enthusiasm  he  shows  for  the 
maintenance  of  this  worship.  In  case  a  family  removes 
to  a  distant  place  far  from  their  original  home,  where  it 
is  impossible  to  make  this  filial  visit,  they  are  then  per- 
mitted to  erect  a  tablet  and  as  they  become  prosperous 
are  expected  to  build  an  ancestral  hall.  The  result  of 
Confucianism  upon  the  life  of  the  nation  has  been  to 
lessen  the  significance  of  the  individual  and  to  emphasize 
the  family  and  clan.  The  family  submits  to  the  clan  as 
the  individual  submits  to  the  head  of  the  family.  The 
result  is  that  the  individual  does  not  feel  the  moral  re- 
sponsibihty  of  his  action ;  he  is  but  the  expression  of  the 
will  of  the  clan.  The  clan  will  stand  by  him  under  all 
circumstances  if  he  does  its  will. 

Taoism,  or  the  Teaching  of  Lao  Tsze 
Lao  Tsze  was  fifty- four  years  old  when  Confucius  was 
born.  He  Hved  to  be  one  hundred  and  spent  nearly  the 
whole  of  his  life  in  the  territory  which  is  now  known  as 
Honan  Province.  The  doctrine  of  Lao  Tsze,  or  Tao  Teh 
as  it  is  called,  is  the  basis  of  the  Taoist  religion,  but  has 
been  so  overlaid  and  misinterpreted  by  his  followers  that 
Taoism  of  to-day  bears  no  resemblance  to  its  original 
source.  Instead  of  seeking  after  the  great  mystery  of 
Being,  the  Cause  of  all  things,  the  followers  of  Lao  Tsze 
spent  their  time  wholly  in  geomancy,  superstition  and 


40        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

fortune-telling.  It  ceased  many  centuries  ago  to  be  a 
moral  force  in  the  life  of  the  nation.  It  would  be  an 
absolute  waste  of  effort  to  try  to  harmonize  the  present 
form  of  Taoism  with  the  ancient  writings  of  Lao  Tsze. 
I  have  selected  a  few  examples  of  the  lofty  thought  of 
this  ancient  sage,  from  Dr.  Heysinger's  book  entitled 
"  The  Light  of  China." 

RETURNING  TO  PURITY 
If  men  would  lay  aside  their  holiness 

And  wisdom,  they  would  gain  a  hundredfold. 
And  if  benevolence  and  righteousness, 

Parental  care  and  filial  love  would  hold. 
If  they  would  drop  their  cleverness  and  gain, 

Robbers  would  cease  to  trouble,  as  of  old. 

Here  are  three  things  where  decorating  fails; 

Let  them  again  embrace  reality : 
Let  them  restore  the  purity  of  old. 

Let  them  return  to  their  simplicity, 
Curb  selfishness,  diminish  their  desires, 

And  in  the  genuine  find  felicity. 

PURE  VIRTUE 
In  centuries  of  old  the  men  who  used  the  light 

Of  the  Tao  ti  its  goodness  were  not  blinded ; 
They  used  to  practice  it,  not  to  make  the  people  bright. 

But  better  still,  to  make  them  simple-minded. 

TRUE  FAITH 

There  is  nothing  weaker  than  water. 

Or  easier  to  efface, 
But  for  attacking  the  hard  and  the  strong 

Nothing  can  take  its  place. 

We  need  not  wonder  that  the  uneducated  followers  did 
not  understand  his  lofty  views  and  that  superstition  and 
magic  resulted.     There  is  to-day  an  acknowledged  head 


Her  Country  and  Her  People  41 

of  the  Taoist  religion,  often  called  the  Pope  of  Taoism, 
who  is  officially  recognized  by  the  Chinese  Government. 
It  is  to  Taoism  that  the  Chinese  are  indebted  for  the 
system  of  "  fung  shui,"  which  if  translated  means  only 
"  wind  water,"  but  this  system  of  geomancy  controls 
the  fortunes  and  destinies  of  men  in  every  sphere  of  life. 
By  the  configuration  of  hills,  the  courses  of  rivers,  the 
contour  of  the  grave,  "  fung  shui "  controls  every  im- 
portant act  of  the  Chinese.  The  entire  nation  submits 
to  this  superstition  without  protest.  The  proud  Con- 
fucianist  may  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  ignorant 
Taoist  priests,  but  we  have  yet  to  find  the  first  one  to 
ignore  the  rules  of  "  fung  shui."  It  has  extraordinary 
hold  upon  the  nation,  and  is  one  of  the  greatest  forces 
in  opposition  to  progress  in  China.  As  the  source  of 
"fung  shui,"  Taoism  cannot  be  said  to  have  any  re- 
deeming feature  whatever. 

Buddhism 
Buddhism,  originally  a  popular  religion  in  India,  dis- 
appeared from  the  land  of  its  birth  in  the  fifth  century. 
It  has  been  transplanted  to  Ceylon,  Burma,  Siam,  China 
and  Japan,  and  has  undergone  great  changes.  When 
Buddhism  was  introduced  into  China  by  invitation  of  the 
Han  emperor  Ming,  A.  d.  61,  it  found  two  so-called  re- 
ligions preoccupying  the  field :  on  the  one  hand  the  ma- 
terialism of  Confucius  and  on  the  other  the  absurd  super- 
stitions of  Taoism.  The  cry  of  the  soul  for  something 
higher,  which  found  expression  in  this  invitation  to  Bud- 
dhism, was  the  direct  result  of  the  mistake  of  Confucius 
in  failing  to  rekindle  the  ancient  faith  in  the  one  true 
God— the  Shiang  Ti,  the  Supreme  Ruler.  To  the  an- 
cients the  faith  in  Shiang  Ti  was  a  real  factor  of  life  ;  to 


42         The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Confucius  it  amounted  to  the  empty  question  of  rites  and 
ceremonies.  This  proved  insufficient  for  the  spiritual 
needs  of  the  people,  as  was  quite  natural.  To  the  Chi- 
nese the  truths  of  Buddhism  came  as  a  gospel  of  hope, 
teaching  that  immortaUty  is  man's  inahenable  inheritance, 
as  well  as  that  of  every  sentient  creature ;  that  all  are 
connected  by  the  links  of  an  endless  chain,  moving  on- 
ward in  unceasing  procession,  on  either  an  ascending  or 
a  descending  scale  ;  that  the  reality  of  the  next  stage  of 
being  is  more  certain  than  the  existence  of  the  material 
objects  by  which  we  are  surrounded ;  that  the  soul  is  an 
immaterial  essence,  which  the  transformations  of  matter 
have  no  power  to  destroy ;  and  finally  that  the  weal  or 
woe  of  the  future  life  depends  upon  the  conduct  of  each 
individual  during  this  present  state  of  probation.  Let  us 
forget  for  a  moment  that  we  possess  a  far  higher  revela- 
tion than  Buddhism  and  try  to  picture  to  ourselves  with 
what  joy  these  new  and  profound  religious  thoughts  must 
have  been  received  by  the  people.  We  need  not  wonder 
that  Buddhism  at  once  took  a  place  coequal  with  the  two 
other  religions.  The  practical  Chinese  saw  that  they 
could  follow  the  ethical  teachings  of  Confucius  and  hold 
to  some  of  the  views  of  Taoism,  and  accept  such  portions 
also  of  Buddhism  as  satisfied  their  spiritual  nature.  We 
have  therefore  to  this  day  the  strange  anomaly  of  one 
person  holding  to  all  three  religions.  The  government 
of  China,  however,  has  often  denounced  both  Taoist  and 
Buddhist  religions.  Especially  can  this  be  said  of  the 
present  dynasty.  The  powerful  Emperor  Khang  Hsi 
(1662- 1 72 3  A.  D.)  in  a  royal  proclamation  issued  sixteen 
maxims,  in  which  he  warned  the  people  from  the  folly  of 
accepting  any  other  teaching  than  that  of  the  great  Con- 
fucius.    "  Degrade,"  says  he,  "  the  strange  religions  in 


Her  Country  and  Her  People  43 

order  to  exalt  the  true  doctrine."  The  same  was  done 
by  Yung  Cheng.  Buddhism  is  despised  by  the  educated 
Chinese  and  has  lost  much  of  its  vigour  in  the  lives  of 
the  common  people. 

The  Social  Life  of  the  Chinese 
In  order  to  obtain  a  proper  conception  of  the  social 
life  of  the  Chinese  let  us  enter  as  it  were  one  of  the 
many  villages  of  that  great  empire.  Rev.  Arthur  H. 
Smith,  D.  D.,  claims  that  over  two-thirds  of  all  the  people 
live  in  villages.  The  Chinese  have  remained  largely  an 
agricultural  people,  for  the  inhabitants  of  these  thousands 
of  villages  are  dependent  upon  the  products  of  their  own 
fields.  There  are  no  extensive  manufactories.  We 
notice  as  we  approach  a  village  that  their  houses  are 
crowded  together  into  a  very  small  area  and  that  their 
fields,  divided  into  small  parcels,  lie  close  to  the  four  sides 
of  the  village.  As  we  approach  along  the  main  road, 
not  more  than  three  feet  wide,  we  notice  that  the  fields 
are  perfectly  level  for  many  acres  and  covered  with  water 
to  a  depth  of  three  or  four  inches.  The  small  plots  of 
ground,  not  more  than  one-sixth  of  an  acre  each,  have 
been  carefully  planted  with  rice,  which  in  South  China 
is  planted  in  preference  to  everything  else  if  conditions 
admit.  Along  the  slopes  of  the  hills,  where  irrigation  is 
impossible,  sugar  cane  and  sweet  potatoes  are  grown  in 
large  quantities.  The  rice-fields  are  usually  connected 
with  some  waterway,  a  river  or  canal.  During  a  dry 
season  the  whole  population  may  be  seen  at  work  pump- 
ing water  into  these  rice-fields  to  save  the  rice  crop. 
After  harvesting  two  crops  of  rice,  many  peasants  of 
South  China  plant  a  third  crop,  during  the  early  winter 
months,  or  wheat  or  vegetables  may  be  planted.     The 


44        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Chinese  can  get  greater  results  at  each  harvest  than  our 
American  farmers  do.  When  we  remember  that  they 
secure  two  and  three  such  crops  every  year  we  see  in 
part  why  they  are  able  to  live  in  such  congested  centres. 
Had  the  Chinese  developed  all  branches  of  their  civiliza- 
tion as  they  have  the  branch  of  agriculture,  they  would 
to-day  stand  foremost  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

As  we  enter  the  village,  we  notice  that  their  houses 
are  almost  without  exception  one-story  structures,  built 
of  concrete  or  in  many  instances  only  of  mud  bricks. 
The  roofs  of  the  houses  are  substantially  built,  made  of 
burnt  tiles  that  withstand  the  wear  and  tear  of  many 
years.  We  notice  also  that  the  doors  of  all  the  houses 
in  the  entire  village  face  towards  the  south,  and  we  learn 
that  this  is  due  to  the  local  law  of  "  fung  shui."  There 
are  no  windows  on  the  north  side  of  the  houses.  Such  a 
provision  for  ventilation  would  be  simply  ruinous.  It 
would  be  only  inviting  the  evil  spirits,  coming  in  and 
passing  out,  to  play  havoc  with  the  good  luck  and  peace 
of  the  whole  family.  To  prevent  them  from  entering 
straight  into  their  homes,  the  doors  of  the  houses  have 
been  set  as  obliquely  into  the  walls  as  possible.  Even 
the  road  leading  to  the  village  is  a  constant  zigzag,  for  it 
would  be  destruction  to  a  village  to  have  a  straight  road 
leading  directly  into  it ! 

The  average  family  occupies  two  or  three  rooms.  In 
the  middle  one  may  be  found  the  ancestor  tablet,  placed  in 
the  most  conspicuous  location.  There  may  be  an  idol  in 
the  room  also.  Apart  from  a  common  table  and  rude 
wooden  chairs  and  a  few  farming  implements  the  room 
offers  nothing  attractive  for  the  eye.  We  do  notice  the 
black  cobwebs  hanging  from  the  rafters  in  the  roof.  On 
both  sides  of  this  room  are  small  doors  that  lead  to  the 


Her  Country  and  Her  People  45 

side  rooms.  One  is  the  sleeping  room,  where  the  whole 
family,  parents  and  three  or  four  small  children,  sleep  in 
one  bed  under  the  same  blanket  or  quilt.  On  the  other 
side  is  the  black,  smoked-stained  kitchen,  containing  a 
fireplace  and  earthenware  cooking  utensils.  This  kitchen 
is  often  partitioned  off  so  as  to  give  quarters  for  the 
water-buffalo,  also  a  member  of  the  family,  a  clumsy  ani- 
mal used  for  plowing  the  fields  and  turning  the  crushing 
stones  of  the  sugar-mills  during  the  winter  season. 

If  it  has  been  our  good  fortune  to  come  to  this  village 
on  invitation,  we  shall  undoubtedly  find  a  feast  prepared 
in  our  honour.  The  host,  perhaps  the  head-man  of  the 
village,  the  most  worthy  and  in  many  cases  the  most 
wealthy,  will  come  out  to  meet  us.  He  is  dressed  in 
holiday  attire,  with  silk  gowns  and  high  boots.  On  his 
hat  we  notice  the  official  button,  which  denotes  distinc- 
tion. He  will  lead  us  to  one  of  the  side  rooms  connected 
with  the  ancestral  hall  and  within  a  few  minutes  the 
almost  naked  children  of  the  village  will  crowd  into  the 
room  to  watch  us  eat.  After  some  delay  the  time  for 
the  feast  has  come.  The  host  with  a  deep  bow  comes  to 
the  oldest  or  most  distinguished  of  our  party  and  invites 
him  to  take  the  seat  of  honour.  To  the  initiated,  how- 
ever, this  is  the  time  to  protest  and  to  ask  others  of  the 
party  to  occupy  the  first  seat  at  the  table.  The  protest 
is  expected  to  be  kept  up  until  one  is  dragged  and 
pushed  along  to  the  chair.  Then  mine  host  offers  the 
second  most  distinguished  of  our  party  the  second  place 
of  honour.  If  the  guest  has  good  taste  he  will  also  pro- 
test and  ask  others  to  occupy  the  place  of  position  ;  and 
will  not  desist  until  dragged  and  pushed  into  his  place. 
This  method  is  carried  out  until  the  very  last  man  is 
seated,  and  it  often  takes  some  time  to  get  eight  men 


46        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

seated  about  the  table.  Now  a  Chinese  feast  is  an  elab- 
orate affair.  Oftentimes  as  many  as  twenty  or  thirty 
courses  of  food  are  served  before  it  is  concluded.  Eight 
persons  usually  sit  together  at  a  table  on  such  an  occa- 
sion. The  food,  cut  up  into  small  portions,  is  placed  in 
a  dish  in  the  centre  of  the  table.  There  are  no  individ- 
ual plates  for  the  guests  ;  each  person  by  the  use  of  the 
two  chopsticks  is  to  help  himself  from  the  central  dish. 
A  feast  on  such  an  occasion  would  consist  of  such  deli- 
cacies as  bird's-nests,  the  fin  of  the  shark,  the  bladder  of 
the  cod,  frog  legs,  slugs,  shrimps  and  so  forth.  As  soon 
as  the  feast  is  over  all  the  guests  are  expected  to  express 
their  compUments  in  a  few  chosen  words  and  take  their 
leave.  There  is  no  sociability  after  a  Chinese  feast. 
Every  man  has  his  own  burden  and  has  all  he  can  do  to 
take  care  of  himself.  Should  it  happen  to  be  night  by 
this  time,  the  host  will  provide  each  guest  with  a  guide 
carrying  a  road-lantern  to  light  him  to  his  abode.  The 
matter  of  guide  and  lantern  is  a  necessity,  for  travelling 
by  night  in  China  is  a  very  risky  undertaking.  There 
are  no  public  lights  and  you  must  have  your  own  light 
or  run  the  risk  of  falling  frequently  into  the  muddy  rice 
fields. 

The  people  living  in  the  villages  retire  very  early.  As 
we  pass  out  we  see  very  few  lights  and  were  we  to  in- 
quire why  these  lights  are  still  burning  we  should  learn 
that  they  indicate  the  abodes  of  gamblers  or  opium 
smokers. 

The  organization  of  the  village  is  very  simple.  Every 
village  has  one  or  several  head-men  who  are  held  respon- 
sible to  the  government  officials  for  the  good  behaviour 
of  the  people  and  the  regular  payment  of  the  taxes  of  the 
entire  village.     If  any  crime  is  committed  by  a  member 


Her  Country  and  Her  People  47 

of  the  village  community,  the  head-men  at  once  become 
the  responsible  parties  to  arrange  the  matter  in  a  peace- 
able way,  or  failing  to  do  this  to  deliver  the  wrong- doer 
to  the  civil  magistrate.     The  villages  in  South  China  are 
so  close  together  and  their  fields  dovetail  into  one  another 
in  such  complexity,  that  there  frequently  arise   discord 
and  strife  among  the  young  men  of  neighbouring  hamlets. 
Sometimes  the  trouble  spreads  through  outside  villages 
taking  sides,  and  the  clan  fights  then  develop.     These  are 
often  very  serious,  but  they  have  their  comical  aspects 
also.     The  writer  was  present  in  one  of  these  villages 
when  a  fight  was  in  progress.     He  noticed  that  the  fight- 
ing began  only   after   breakfast   and  lasted  until  about 
eleven  o'clock,  when  a  recess  was  taken  by  mutual  con- 
sent to  get  dinner  and  take  the  regulation  cat-nap.     In 
the  afternoon,  towards   evening,  there  would   be  some 
show  of  courage  on  both  sides  and  by  sunset  hostilities 
would  cease  as  a  matter  of  course  in  order  to  get  food  and 
rest.     At  another  place  I  heard  both  combatants  teasing 
one  another  during  the  warm  summer  night  with  ques- 
tions such  as  these  :     "  How  many  fools  did  we  send  to 
their  ancestors  to-day  ?  "     The  reply  was  a  poor  compli- 
ment to  their  shooting.     Then  came  the  taunting  ques- 
tion why  they  did  not  invest  a  httle  money  in  buying 
powder  that  was  decent  ?     The  other  would  answer  with 
a  cannon  shot,  saying,  "  Here  is  something  for  your  an- 
cestors," which  must  have  had  a  sting  for  the  other  party, 
judging  from  the  volley  of  curses  that  followed  and  the 
shots  that  were  returned.     But  the  social  relations  of  the 
villages  are  not  always  strained.     On  the  contrary  they 
are  often  very  friendly.     For  instance  on  the  Festival  of 
the   Dragon  Boat,  the  fifth  day  of  the  fifth   moon,  the 
young  men  of  villages  along  the  rivers  of  South  China 


48        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

vie  with  one  another  in  boat-rowing.     In  some  districts  a 
prize  is  given  to  the  best  trained  crew. 

Much  so-called  laziness  of  the  Chinese  is  apathy,  due 
largely  to  the  insecurity  of  property  rights.  With  the 
exception  of  very  few  rich  merchants  and  men  who  own 
large  estates  in  the  country,  the  mass  of  the  people  are 
very  poor.  They  live  a  hand-to-mouth  existence  upon 
a  scale  which  to  us  would  be  considered  impossible. 
Day  labourers  receive  from  ten  to  fifteen  cents  in  our 
money  for  a  day's  work  and  on  this  they  support  their 
families.  But  we  need  to  remember  that  money  has  a 
greater  buying  capacity,  and  that  almost  every  Chinese 
has  some  income  of  rice  coming  to  him  as  his  share  in 
his  ancestral  property.  Happy  for  him  that  he  takes 
little  heed  of  the  morrow  !  He  holds  that  the  govern- 
ment is  responsible  to  see  that  there  is  peace  and  plenty 
in  the  land ;  and  when  conditions  become  intolerable,  he 
and  other  thousands  will  turn  against  the  government  and 
steal  and  rob  for  a  living  until  matters  become  normal 
again.  He  lives  very  close  to  the  fundamental  idea  of  a 
patriarchal  government. 


II 

CHINA  AND  THE  PROBLEMS  OF  THE  FAR  EAST 

In  order  rightly  to  understand  China  in  her  conflict 
with  the  civiHzed  nations  of  the  earth,  we  are  obliged 
first  of  all  to  approach  the  subject  from  the  historical 
standpoint.     The  Chinese  in  ancient  times,  that  is  2000 
years  b.  c,  were  divided  into  a  large  number  of  independ- 
ent states,  which  in  their  relation  with  one  another  had 
developed   a  system  of   interstate  diplomacy  not  much 
unlike  that  which  is  now  carried  on  in  Europe.     Upon 
consolidation  of  all  the  states  into  a  vast  empire  by  the 
Han  Dynasty  in  255  b.  c,  the  Chinese  felt  themselves  so 
overwhelmingly  superior  to  all  other  Asiatic  nations  that 
the  thought  of  establishing  any  system  of  diplomacy  with 
these  inferior  countries  was  out  of  the  question.     The 
petty  states  of  Korea  (later  merged  into  the  Han  Em- 
pire), Japan  and  Tartary  to  the  north,  the  Burmans,  the 
Anamese  and  the  Siamese  to  the  south,  together  with 
the  less  civilized  races  to  the  northwest,  were  not  for  a 
moment  to  be  considered  as  equals.     If  they  approached 
China  it  could  only  be  under  the  status  of  vassals.     Was 
not  China  the  «  Middle  Kingdom,"  the  dominating  force 
of  the  whole  universe  ?     The  only  country  which  some- 
times objected  to  this  assumption  was  Japan,  but  her  in- 
dependence in  those  days  was   due  to  her  geographical 
position  ;   otherwise  Japan  also  would  have  been  incor- 
porated into  the  Chinese  Empire.     This  condition  con- 
tinued for  nearly  4,000  years.     But  recently  China  awoke 
to  the  fact  that  there  are  many  countries  from  afar  that 

49 


5o        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

demand  treatment  on  an  equal  footing  with  herself. 
This  was  so  startling  to  the  whole  empire  that  one  of 
China's  strongest  men  is  said  to  have  called  it  the  "  great- 
est political  revolution  that  has  taken  place  in  China 
since  the  abolition  of  the  feudal  system  over  2,000  years 
ago."  Unfortunately  for  China  she  has  refused  to  accept 
the  changed  condition  and  has  persisted  even  up  to  this 
present  day  to  express  herself  in  a  spirit  of  resentment. 
For  a  time  she  insisted  that  the  rulers  of  the  west,  when 
sending  a  communication  to  the  dragon  throne,  should 
address  the  emperor  in  the  same  terms  as  were  expected 
from  Asiatic  vassals.  It  was  demanded  also  that  repre- 
sentatives of  European  rulers  when  approaching  the 
Chinese  emperor  should  fall  on  their  knees  and  approach 
the  throne  on  all  fours.  As  no  nation  would  agree  to 
these  humiliating  conditions  the  government  refused  to 
allow  foreign  ambassadors  to  live  in  the  capital  city  of 
Peking  ;  and  only  after  the  city  had  been  captured  by  a 
European  army,  was  this  request  granted.  China  her- 
self refused  for  a  time  to  send  representatives  to  any 
European  court,  for  by  doing  so  she  would  admit  the 
principle  of  equality.  Commercial  treaties  obtained  from 
China  were  only  the  fruits  of  force. 

The  Relation  of  Japan  to  China 
In  order  to  understand  the  present  condition  of  the 
Far  East  it  is  essential  for  us  to  review  the  historical  atti- 
tude of  the  leading  nations  towards  China.  We  will 
consider  Japan  first.  Japan's  relation  to  China  finds  an 
analogy  in  the  historical  relation  of  France  and  England. 
The  Chinese  made  several  attempts  to  invade  the  islands 
of  Japan  ;  but  though  they  failed  to  subjugate  the  Island 
Empire  they  did  impress  upon  her  their  own  form   of 


The   Problems  of  the  Far  East  51 

civilization,  and  as  early  as  A.  D.  250  Japan  had  adopted 
the  Confucian  civihzation,  to  her  great  advantage.  The 
strong  MongoHan  leader,  Kublai  Khan,  the  Conqueror, 
undertook  with  an  army  of  100,000  soldiers  to  subjugate 
Japan,  but  nobody  ever  returned  to  the  continent  to  tell 
of  their  disaster.  In  retaliation  for  this  presumption 
Japan  fitted  out  a  large  fleet  of  semi-pirates  against  China 
and  laid  waste  a  large  number  of  cities  and  towns  along 
the  coast  and  up  the  rivers.  An  invasion  of  Korea 
was  undertaken  at  that  time,  but  the  Koreans  with  the 
aid  of  the  Chinese  were  able  to  drive  the  invaders  out  of 
their  territory.  With  the  appearance  of  the  first  Eu- 
ropean ships  in  the  Far  East  the  Japanese  became  fright- 
ened and  closed  their  seaports  to  all  comers  as  a  protec- 
tion against  encroachments  upon  their  territory,  although 
this  plan  was  criticised  by  many  of  the  foremost  men  of 
the  empire.  Nagasaki  was  finally  granted  as  a  port  for 
the  Hollanders  to  carry  on  their  trade.  With  the  ap- 
pearance of  Perry  and  his  squadron  in  the  harbour  of 
Yokohama,  Japan  awoke  and  determined  to  be  a  vital 
factor  in  the  Far  East  and  she  has  succeeded.  Had 
China  bestirred  herself  at  the  same  time  there  would  be 
no  Far  Eastern  problem  to-day  in  the  form  in  which  it 
is.  For  many  years  China  held  Japan  in  utmost  con- 
tempt for  having  abandoned  her  old  Confucian  civilization 
for  that  of  the  West.  In  the  mind  of  the  honest  Chinese 
statesmen  nothing  but  disaster  could  result  from  it. 
With  the  outbreak  of  the  Japanese- Chinese  war  the 
Chinese  were  convinced  that  the  doom  of  Japan  had  be- 
gun. Their  consternation  and  chagrin  at  their  defeat, 
and  the  publicity  of  their  weakness,  now  revealed  to  the 
whole  world,  are  matters  of  so  recent  occurrence  that  we 
need  not  dwell  upon  them,  except  to  say  that  the  Chinese 


52        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

have  not  yet  forgiven  the  Japanese  for  stealing  a  march 
upon  them  and  abandoning  the  traditions  of  the  Far 
East. 

The  Relation  of  Korea  to  China 
Korea  has  ever  been  the  "  bone  of  contention  "  among 
the  Asiatic  nations.  That  unhappy  country  has  been 
conquered  and  reconquered  by  the  Chinese,  Tartars  and 
Japanese  for  the  past  2,ooo  years.  As  early  as  the  sec- 
ond century  before  our  Christian  era,  Korea  became  a 
part  of  the  Chinese  Empire.  As  was  the  case  with 
Japan,  she  adopted  the  civiHzation  of  Confucianism. 
Japan  has  spilled  much  blood  for  the  control  of  Korea, 
but  during  all  the  past  2,000  years  she  has  been  able  to 
hold  the  country  only  for  a  brief  period.  Will  her  pres- 
ent ascendancy  in  Korea  be  more  successful  than  during 
the  past  ?  The  Koreans  were  always  paying  tribute  to 
one  country  or  the  other  and  sometimes  to  both.  During 
the  past  few  years  the  Russian  Government  had  begun  to 
encroach  upon  the  territory  of  Korea,  and  the  Koreans, 
playing  their  own  trick,  received  the  Russians  with  a 
great  deal  of  consideration,  with  the  ultimate  aim  of 
checking  in  their  country  the  predominant  influence  of 
the  Japanese.  In  this  they  were  successful ;  the  Rus- 
sians tried  to  make  hay  while  the  sun  shone,  but  the 
Arctic  night  came  all  too  soon  for  them  and  they  had  to 
surrender  their  interests  to  Japan.  Korea  by  reason  of 
her  queer  methods  of  diplomacy  has  practically  lost  her 
identity  as  a  sovereign  nation.  The  American  Govern- 
ment has  acquiesced  in  the  desire  of  Japan  that  all  dip- 
lomatic relations  regarding  Korea  be  arranged  through 
the  Japanese  ambassador.  The  European  nations  will 
no  doubt  follow  the  example  of  our  own  government ; 


The  Problems  of  the  Far  East  53 

for  this  is  certain,  Japan  will  not  brook  any  interference 
with  her  plans  in  Korea. 

The  Relation  of  Russia  to  China 
In  speaking  of  the  relation  of  Russia  to  China  we 
must  not  forget  that  she  is  an  old  neighbour  to  the 
"  Middle  Kingdom  "  and  has  had  centuries  of  experience 
with  the  Mongolian  races.  We  know,  of  course,  that  a 
large  part  of  European  Russia  had  been  overrun  with  the 
Tartars  from  Northeastern  Asia  for  several  generations 
and  that  the  Russian  race  shows  traces  of  this  invasion 
to  this  day.  It  was  only  a  natural  sequence  that  the 
pendulum  should  swing  the  other  way  after  centuries 
and  that  the  European  Russians  should  be  found  masters 
over  the  whole  Mongolian  and  Manchurian  country. 
But  for  Japan,  she  would  have  found  no  opposition 
on  the  part  of  the  native  people  of  the  invaded  country. 
But  now,  having  lost  the  war,  Russia  will  never  again 
enjoy  that  prestige  and  power  in  the  diplomacy  of  the 
Far  East  which  she  did  during  the  period  from  1895  to 
1904.  Her  defeat  has  been  so  thorough  as  to  cause  all 
the  Asiatic  races  to  think  less  of  the  abilities  of  the 
Europeans.  The  day  of  land-grabbing  is  over;  the 
Asiatics  have  been  delighted  with  Russian  defeat  and 
the  cry  is  heard  all  over  Asia,  "  Asia  for  the  Asiatics  ! " 
They  laugh  at  the  European  terror  of  a  "  yellow  peril " 
and  claim  that  it  is  the  "  white  peril "  they  want  to  get  rid 
of  in  Asia.  The  defeat  of  Russia  may  lead  to  the  defeat 
of  other  nations  engaged  in  empire  building  in  the  Far 
East. 

The  Relation  of  France  to  China 
The  relation  of  France  to  China  has  been  one  of  con- 
stant storm  and  stress.     France  has  sought  to  build  up  a 


54        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

vast  empire  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Asia,  perhaps  to 
compensate  for  her  disappointment  and  losses  in  India, 
Inasmuch  as  China  was  to  pay  the  bill  of  this  ambition, 
one  can  readily  understand  that  there  must  unavoidably 
have  been  constant  friction  between  the  two  countries. 
Having  hved  in  that  part  of  China  which  borders  the 
territory  now  held  by  France,  the  author  is  able  to  state 
from  personal  observation  how  exceedingly  careful  the 
Chinese  officials  were  not  to  do  anything  that  would 
arouse  the  animosity  of  the  French  Government.  The 
cooHe  class  from  Kityang  and  Swatow  Districts  emi- 
grated in  large  numbers  to  the  French  possessions  of 
A  nam  and  Co  chin- China,  a  fact  which  gave  the  French 
colonial  officials  the  opportunity  of  exercising  a  great  in- 
fluence in  the  Swatow  District.  Sometimes  these  emi- 
grants would  return  to  their  native  country  as  French 
subjects  or  converts  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  and 
would  be  a  source  of  annoyance  to  the  government, 
which,  of  course,  could  exercise  no  authority  over  them. 
During  the  memorable  period  from  1895  to  1905,  the 
period  of  Russian  and  French  ascendancy  in  China  and 
the  Far  East,  China  was  in  daily  fear  of  Russian  en- 
croachment on  the  northern  boundary  and  French  aggres- 
sion at  the  south. 

The  writer  remembers  one  time  when  a  rebellion  of 
considerable  importance  broke  out  in  the  southern  prov- 
inces of  China  and  the  French  colonial  government  of 
Anam  offered  with  great  eagerness  to  send  French  troops 
across  the  border  to  help  the  Chinese  suppress  the  up- 
rising. China  not  only  refused  this  aid,  but  actually  had 
to  send  a  large  force  of  soldiers  to  the  frontier  to  prevent 
the  French  troops  from  crossing.  The  Chinese  officials 
were   aware  that  once  the  French  troops  entered  the 


The  Problems  of  the  Far  East  ^^ 

domain  of  China  it  would  be  a  difficult  thing  to  get  them 
out.  With  the  defeat  of  Russia  and  the  frustration  of 
her  plans  in  northern  China  the  hope  of  the  French 
of  building  up  a  vast  empire  in  the  southern  part  of 
China  has  become  dim.  Japan  is  jealous  of  French 
plans  in  the  East  and  will  thwart  every  movement  of 
aggression.  The  French  understand  the  issue  and  have 
become  far  more  reasonable  in  their  relations  with  China. 
It  was  surprising  to  notice  the  change  that  came  over  the 
French  priests  in  the  southern  provinces  as  the  reports 
of  Russian  defeats  were  received.  They  no  longer  went 
to  the  yamens  to  dictate  to  the  magistrates  regarding 
civil  lawsuits,  and  refused  to  countenance  adherents  who 
came  with  cases  of  trouble  and  litigation.  The  native 
priests  received  strict  orders  to  keep  away  from  the 
yamens  for  a  time.  And  why  so  timid  all  of  a  sudden  ? 
They  foresaw  trouble  with  Japan  if  they  persisted.  The 
Japanese  had  become  jealous  of  the  power  exerted  in  the 
Swatow  District  by  the  French  priests.  They  saw  how 
these  priests  claimed  for  their  converts  immunity  from 
civil  punishment  by  reason  of  their  connection  with  the 
French  Catholic  mission.  To  offset  this  a  host  of  Japa- 
nese Buddhist  priests  came  into  the  district,  nominally 
to  do  missionary  work,  but  really  to  oppose  the  French 
on  their  own  lines.  These  Japanese  received  converts  to 
their  faith  at  two  dollars  per  man  and  promised  to  repre- 
sent them  at  the  yamens  should  they  get  into  trouble 
with  the  French  converts  or  the  ordinary  people.  The 
wisdom  of  the  Jesuit  at  once  made  itself  evident,  for  as 
already  stated  the  priests  were  more  careful  about  taking 
up  lawsuits ;  evidently  they  did  not  care  to  try  con- 
clusions with  the  Japanese  at  this  time.  It  seems  prob- 
able that  the  diplomatic  relations  between  France  and 


56        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

China  will  in  the  future  have  to  be  on  the  basis  of 
common  interest  rather  than  of  spoliation  and  retalia- 
tion. 

The  Relation  of  Germany  to  China 
Germany  was  one  of  the  latest  of  all  nations  seeking  to 
despoil  China,  but  she  made  up  by  a  vigorous  policy  for 
what  she  lost  in  time.  Ten  or  fifteen  years  ago  Germany 
did  not  possess  in  any  open  port  the  concession  usually 
granted  to  commercial  nations.  To-day  she  has  a  num- 
ber of  them  and  has  annexed  a  fine  harbour,  Kiaochau, 
which  controls  the  trade  of  the  hinterland,  a  populous 
country.  It  is  currrent  opinion,  that  above  every  other 
nation  Germany  is  to  be  blamed  for  the  methods  em- 
ployed in  obtaining  a  colony  in  China.  It  was  the  kill- 
ing of  two  German  missionaries  that  precipitated  the 
seizure  of  Kiaochau.  If  we  study  history  we  shall  find 
that  both  England  and  France  have  made  use  of  the  same 
methods  ;  but  that  does  not  diminish  the  seriousness  of 
the  blunder,  for  it  was  a  bad  mistake  from  both  the  re- 
ligious and  the  political  standpoints.  For  this  wrong 
done  to  China,  the  German  Minister  at  Peking,  Herr 
von  Ketteler  was  killed  and  the  Boxer  revolt  hastened. 
As  is  known,  Germany's  position  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  China  makes  her  a  close  neighbour  to  Japan. 
While  there  is  not  that  tension  of  jealousy  between  Japan 
and  Germany  that  exists  between  Japan  and  France,  yet 
it  must  be  remembered  that  Japan  has  not  forgotten  that 
it  was  Germany  that  united  with  Russia  and  France  in 
compelling  her  to  give  up  Port  Arthur  and  the  Liaotung 
Peninsula.  For  this  very  reason  Germany's  position  in 
Shantung  is  a  doubtful  one.  Japan  may  get  even  with 
Germany;  in  which  case  the  latter  may  be  invited  to 


The  Problems  of  the  Far  East  57 

give  up   the  colony  to  China  without  the  use  of  the 
"  mailed  fist." 

The  Relation  of  England  to  China 
England  is  without  doubt  the  foremost  European 
nation  in  China.  The  amount  of  English  capital  in- 
vested there  for  commercial  pursuits  is  perhaps  far  larger 
than  the  invested  capital  of  all  other  nations  in  that  em- 
pire. England's  quest  in  China  has  not  been  territorial 
expansion;  she  resorted  to  the  land-grabbing  method 
only  in  so  far  as  it  furthered  and  advanced  her  commer- 
cial schemes.  In  this  respect  her  interests  are  wholly 
different  from  those  of  France.  Although  England  has 
had  two  wars  with  China  and  upon  both  occasions  had 
the  government  completely  at  her  mercy,  yet  she  never 
used  these  occasions  to  further  any  imperial  designs 
upon  China's  territory.  During  the  period  of  the  great 
T'aiping  rebellion,  when  eight  of  the  sixteen  provinces 
had  passed  under  the  control  of  the  rebels  and  the  whole 
Ching  Dynasty  seemed  tottering,  England  came  to  her 
aid  through  her  officers,  and  General  Gordon  crushed  the 
rebellion  and  restored  peace.  Indeed  it  may  be  said  of 
England  that  if  her  commercial  record  in  China  had  re- 
mained unstained  she  could  be  numbered  easily  as  one 
of  the  firmest  friends  of  the  empire.  But  the  opium 
blot  forbids  that  England  should  be  classified  as  a  friend 
of  China.  The  people  are  to-day  besotted  by  opium, 
which  is  planted  in  India  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Indian  colonial  officials,  the  profits,  which  are  very  large, 
being  used  to  help  pay  the  extraordinary  salaries  of  the 
European  officials  in  India.  This  Indian  opium  is  im- 
ported into  China  largely  through  English  shipping  firms 
and   sold   to   the   Chinese   merchants   through   English 


58        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

agents.  It  constitutes  the  greatest  curse  that  enslaves 
the  Chinese  people.  It  is  not  only  a  crime  against  China 
and  against  the  better  nature  of  England  herself,  but  is  a 
wrong  against  the  legal  commerce  of  the  whole  world. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  buying  capacity  of  China  is 
reduced  many  millions  every  year  by  reason  of  the  drain 
and  waste  of  the  opium  traffic.  Nor  will  China  ever  be 
able  to  take  her  rightful  place  among  leading  nations 
until  this  curse  is  blotted  out.  The  opium  habit  is  on 
the  increase.  It  has  of  late  become  a  matter  of  good 
form  for  the  best  of  families  to  have  an  opium  couch  and 
the  paraphernalia  for  smoking  opium  ready  for  a  visiting 
friend.  The  higher  the  official  status  of  the  man  the 
greater  the  probability  that  he  uses  opium.  It  will  be 
difficult  to  uproot  the  evil  at  this  late  day.  The  Chinese 
plant  the  poppy  in  many  parts  of  the  empire ;  but  the 
bulk  still  comes  from  India.  The  Chinese  Government 
is  now  taking  steps  to  discourage  the  use  of  opium. 
Officials  are  forbidden  to  use  the  drug,  and  the  planting 
of  the  poppy  is  to  be  under  the  control  of  the  imperial 
government. 

The  great  influence  of  England  upon  the  commercial 
life  of  China  is  noticed  in  every  open  seaport.  The 
English  language  is  the  medium  through  which  trade  is 
carried  on.  One  often  hears  the  coolies  making  use  of 
the  "  pidgin  English,"  business  English,  or  as  the  natives 
call  it,  "  the  salt  water  talk."  The  use  of  the  English 
language  in  China  is  on  the  increase.  Every  school  of 
higher  learning  must  provide  a  course  in  English  in  order 
to  be  successful.  Many  of  the  students  of  these  institu- 
tions receive  upon  their  graduation  very  profitable  em- 
ployment if  they  have  a  fluent  command  of  the  English 
language.     They  are   sought   by  the  large  commercial 


The  Problems  of  the  Far  East  59 

and  banking  houses  in  all  the  treaty  ports  along  the 
coast. 

Politically,  England's  position  in  Asia  has  been  very 
much  strengthened  by  the  results  of  the  Japan-Russia 
War.  As  we  shall  see,  England's  influence  as  a  domi- 
nating power  in  the  Far  East  suffered  an  eclipse  after  the 
war  between  Japan  and  China.  Both  England  as  well  as 
Japan  had  to  give  way  to  the  Russian-French  aUiance  ; 
but  now  by  reason  of  Russia's  defeat  on  the  one  hand 
and  the  strengthening  of  the  Anglo-Japanese  alliance  on 
the  other,  there  has  been  a  complete  change  on  the  po- 
litical chessboard  and  England  by  a  combination  of  cir- 
cumstances finds  herself  in  an  impregnable  position. 
For  this  those  who  are  interested  in  the  evangelization 
of  the  world  feel  a  sense  of  satisfaction  ;  for  even  if  Eng- 
land is  not  always  what  we  should  like  to  see  her  it  still 
remains  true  that  her  influence  counts  more  for  Chris- 
tianity than  any  other  nation. 

The  Relation  of  the  United  States  to  China 

It  was  a  common  thing  a  few  years  ago  to  hear  edu- 
cated men  in  China  speak  in  the  highest  terms  of  respect 
of  the  American  nation.  The  short-sighted  policy  of 
some  officials  in  this  country  in  treating  like  the  common 
coolie  the  upper  class  Chinese  who  have  come  to  this 
country  for  educational  purposes,  and  the  rich  merchants, 
has  changed  all  this  and  a  reaction  resulted  which  found 
its  expression  in  the  boycott  of  American  goods  a  few 
months  ago.  One  may  safely  say,  however,  that  as  soon 
as  the  Chinese  understand  that  all  these  wrongs  have  been 
corrected  the  traditional  happy  relations  will  be  resumed. 
America  has  a  clean  record  in  her  diplomatic  relations 
with    China.     No   country   enjoys   the   confidence  and 


6o        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

trust  that  America  does.  On  more  than  one  occasion 
China  has  rehed  upon  the  advice  of  the  American  minis- 
ter in  crises  with  foreign  nations.  America  has  never 
stooped  to  browbeat  the  Chinese  Government  nor  ever 
taken  a  foot  of  land  from  her.  Crimes  have  been  com- 
mitted against  American  citizens,  as  they  have  been  com- 
mitted against  citizens  of  other  nations,  but  the  methods 
employed  to  seek  justice  have  been  entirely  different  from 
those  of  European  nations.  These  are  facts  that  are  con- 
ceded by  the  Chinese,  and  of  course  have  made  a  deep 
impression  upon  the  people.  We  have  been  exceedingly 
fortunate  in  having  men  of  singular  abiHty  to  represent 
our  government  at  Peking.  The  names  and  stories  of  our 
leading  men  are  known  by  the  Chinese  scholars.  George 
Washington,  Lincoln,  Grant,  McKinley,  John  Hay, 
Roosevelt,  are  all  familiar.  The  author  once  showed  a 
picture  of  George  Washington  to  an  old  man,  the  father 
of  the  two  highest  scholars  in  Kityang  city,  who  when 
being  told  whose  picture  it  was  at  once  made  ready  to 
worship  the  picture.  He  had  read  the  story  of  the  life  of 
"  the  father  of  his  country  "  and  classified  George  Wash- 
ington as  one  of  the  few  men  to  be  compared  with  Con- 
fucius. To  this  man,  an  American  represented  the 
honour,  the  virtue  and  the  best  of  Western  civilization 
and  there  are  thousands  who  are  of  the  same  mind. 

China  and  Her  Struggle  With  the  World 

China,  the  "  sick  man  "  of  the  Far  East,  has  taken  a 
new  hold  upon  life  as  the  result  of  the  Japanese-Russian 
War.  A  number  of  European  imperial  surgeons  had 
planned  an  operation  to  be  performed  upon  the  chronic 
patient,  but  Japan,  supported  by  John  Bull,  a  private 
surgeon  of  world-wide  fame,  insisted  that  the  carving  be 


The  Problems  of  the  Far  East  6l 

abandoned,  and  in  order  to  make  her  desires  regarding 
the  patient  respected  was  compelled  to  adopt  heroic 
measures  with  one  of  her  opponents.  The  result  of  this 
encounter  has  been  that  the  whole  world  is  now  con- 
vinced that  less  drastic  measures  than  an  operation  upon 
China  will  answer.  All  America  at  least  rejoiced  with 
Japan  over  the  results  of  the  war  and  yet  there  is  reason 
for  the  fear  that  connected  itself  with  the  rejoicing  of 
many.  The  great  problem  now  is,  Will  the  method 
proposed  by  Japan  for  heaUng  the  "  sick  man"  prove  it- 
self sufificient?  WiU  the  mere  renaissance  of  learning 
and  the  remodelling  of  China's  army  according  to  West- 
ern methods  remove  the  dead  hands  of  ancestor  worship 
and  its  concomitant  "  fung  shui "  which  have  throttled 
every  effort  of  true  reform  thus  far  ? 

At  heart  China  has  still  the  same  old  conservative, 
fossilized  civilization.  There  is  at  present  a  rattling  of 
dry  bones  all  over  the  country,  to  be  sure,  and  hosts  of 
her  students  are  making  every  effort  to  get  all  the  West- 
ern learning  possible,  but  of  a  radical  breaking  away 
from  those  things  that  have  held  the  whole  Chinese 
nation  in  subjection,  there  are  hardly  any  signs  in  the 
interior.  And  perhaps  it  is  well  that  this  is  so,  for  the 
time  being  at  least.  The  gentry  and  the  common  people 
in  the  interior  may  not  be  prepared  for  sweeping  reforms 
and  would  fail  to  appreciate  the  merits  of  the  new  move- 
ment. This  very  thing  was  the  underlying  cause  that 
brought  about  the  successful  reaction  against  the  scheme 
of  reforms  of  the  Emperor  Kwang  Hsu  in  1 898.  Just  how 
moribund  the  Manchu  Government  remains  in  spite  of 
the  world-wide  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon  her,  is  seen 
in  the  rejection  of  the  plan  of  reforms  offered  by  one  of 
her   most   noted   and   tried   friends,   Sir   Robert    Hart. 


62        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Some  time  ago  the  latter  submitted  a  well  thought  out 
scheme  of  reform  with  regard  to  taxation,  official  ap- 
pointment, salaries,  army  and  navy  and  so  forth.  It  was 
at  once  the  sanest  and  most  statesman-like  proposal  ever 
offered  China  in  a  day  of  great  need.  Instead  of  giving 
heed,  the  proposals  were  pigeon-holed  by  reason  of  the 
opposition  and  scorn  of  China's  leading  statesmen,  Chang 
Chih  Tung,  Yuan  Shi  Kai  and  others.  And  yet  every 
one  who  has  the  faintest  conception  of  international 
affairs  knows  that  China  will  have  to  adopt  reforms  along 
the  very  lines  suggested  and  refused.  There  can  be 
no  serious  talk  of  a  new  China  until  these  far-reaching 
measures  are  inaugurated.  It  is  a  comparatively  unimpor- 
tant matter  how  many  students  are  studying  the  sciences 
of  the  West,  although  the  latter  will  become  important 
factors  in  helping  forward  the  cause  of  reform  when  the 
opportunity  arrives.  We  need  not  be  blind  to  the  tre- 
mendous powers  arrayed  against  reform  and  the  great 
fight  that  is  yet  to  come,  yet  these  proposed  reforms 
must  and  will  triumph  !  It  will  be  impossible  much 
longer  for  the  conservatives  to  oppose  successfully  the 
constant  and  ever-increasing  pressure  of  the  leading 
nations  of  the  earth  from  without  and  that  of  the  re- 
formers from  within.  Now  that  the  integrity  of  China 
is  once  more  assured,  the  Manchu  Government  could 
adopt  reform  measures  without  having  its  sovereignty 
questioned.  Had  the  results  of  the  war  been  different 
and  Russia  been  the  victor,  large  territories  of  the  Chinese 
Empire  would  have  passed  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
Manchus  and  the  prospects  of  an  "  open  door,"  either  in 
a  commercial  or  in  a  religious  sense,  would  have  been 
discouraging  to  the  people  representing  Anglo-Saxon 
civilization. 


The  Problems  of  the  Far  East  63 

With  the  integrity  of  China  assured,  evangelical  mis- 
sionary endeavour  has  gained  immensely.  It  has  been  an 
open  secret  that  both  Russia  and  France  desired  to  ex- 
tend their  jurisdiction  over  large  territories  to  the  north 
and  south  of  China  respectively,  and  in  order  to  bind 
these  new  acquisitions  closer  to  their  own  interests  would 
not  only  close  the  "  open  door "  to  international  trade 
but  would  also  limit  evangelical  missionaries  in  their 
preaching  of  the  gospel.  The  policy  of  circumscribing 
and  limiting  missionaries  in  their  work  had  already  been 
adopted  by  the  Russian  Government  as  soon  as  they  were 
in  full  possession  of  Port  Arthur  and  Dalny  and  the  sur- 
rounding country.  The  restrictions  were  practically  as 
severe  as  were  enforced  in  European  Russia  against  mis- 
sionaries not  belonging  to  the  Greek  Catholic  Church. 
In  the  territory  south  of  China,  Anam  and  Cochin  China, 
the  French  have  prohibited  missionaries  of  other  coun- 
tries from  preaching  the  gospel,  and  would  have  extended 
the  same  policy  to  all  other  territories  obtained  from 
China.  Evangelical  Christianity  therefore  has  much 
reason  to  be  thankful  over  the  results  of  the  late  war. 

But  the  dismemberment  of  China  would  not  have  been 
such  an  easy  task  as  some  have  supposed.  In  certain 
parts  of  China  the  expense  of  putting  the  country  into 
subjection  would  have  prevented  the  plan  from  being 
carried  out.  The  amount  of  blood  that  would  have  been 
shed  in  the  struggle  would  have  made  conquest  impossi- 
ble in  this  late  day.  The  love  of  the  Chinese  people  for 
their  country  (not  for  the  Manchu  Government)  is  as 
great  and  sincere  as  that  of  any  nation  on  earth.  The 
Chinese  above  any  people  could  sing  in  their  national 
hymn  the  words  •'  Land  where  my  fathers  died,"  and  it 
would  mean  more  to  them  than  to  others.     But  they  do 


64        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

not  sing  it,  they  live  it ;  that  fact  has  become  one  of  the 
strongest  moral  motives  determining  their  lives.  Then 
again,  it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  Chinese  are  not 
aware  of  the  vast  mineral  and  coal  resources  of  their  own 
country.  In  their  own  way,  in  places  where  "  fung  shui  " 
was  not  disturbed,  the  Chinese  dug  mines  centuries  ago. 
But  though  there  may  be  the  greatest  riches  hidden  in  a 
hill  near  a  village  not  a  soul  will  be  tempted  to  dig  for 
it  if  the  grave  of  the  ancestor  should  be  situated  on  that 
hill  or  the  "  fung  shui "  of  the  village  be  endangered, 
which  usually  is  the  case.  Not  many  miles  from  the 
city  of  Kityang  there  are  hills  containing  pewter  and 
gold,  and  to  the  southwest  can  be  seen  on  the  surface  of 
the  hills  coal  that  would  bring  fortunes  to  the  owners, 
but  the  laws  of  "  fung  shui  "  are  so  stringent  that  nobody 
gives  the  matter  a  thought.  To  the  mind  of  the  Chinese 
there  are  other  things  of  more  importance  than  the  con- 
stant search  and  mad  rush  for  riches.  The  spirit  of  com- 
mercialism has  not  yet  invaded  the  interior  of  China. 
There  the  people  live  to-day  much  as  their  ancestors  did 
two  or  three  thousand  years  ago.  And  that  very  fact 
makes  them  content  and  even  happy  with  their  lot.  The 
common  people  are  too  poor,  too  ignorant,  to  understand 
or  even  grasp  the  significance  of  the  progress  of  the 
human  race  during  these  many  centuries.  They  have 
been  told  over  and  over  again  by  their  leading  men  of 
the  glories  of  their  ancient  ancestors  (which  at  the  best, 
however,  consisted  merely  in  holding  public  office),  and 
they  have  become  so  devoted  to  this  filial  worship  as  to 
exclude  any  new  view  on  that  question.  They  have  be- 
come the  most  moribund  and  fossihzed  nation  on  earth. 

And  yet  it  is  but  fair  to  say  that  the  Chinese  people 
have  undergone  changes  according  to  their  own  methods 


The  Problems  of  the  Far  East  65 

through  all  these  centuries.  Every  important  dynasty 
which  ruled  over  the  people  has  left  its  impress  upon 
them.  A  change  of  dynasty  is  usually  a  great  calamity 
in  China,  costing  the  lives  of  millions  of  people,  and  al- 
ways stands  for  some  modification  of  existing  conditions. 
Thus  for  instance  the  Chinese  were  never  known  to 
wear  the  cue  before  the  reign  of  the  present  dynasty. 
When  the  Manchus  overthrew  the  government  of  the 
former  Ming  Dynasty,  they  issued  a  proclamation  com- 
manding all  the  people  to  shave  the  front  part  of  the 
head  and  wear  the  cue  as  the  sign  of  loyalty  to  the  new 
government.  Not  to  do  so  was  to  stand  in  rebellion 
against  the  new  rulers  and  was  punished  with  death. 
After  a  reign  of  over  260  years  the  Manchu  Dynasty 
stands  convicted  by  the  entire  world  for  having  done 
nothing  for  the  general  welfare  of  the  Chinese  nation. 
They  have  treated  the  land  as  an  object  of  plunder,  but 
have  been  wise  enough  not  to  interfere  with  local  beliefs 
and  superstitions.  The  Chinese,  on  the  other  hand,  see- 
ing they  were  not  molested  or  asked  to  depart  from  their 
old  ways,  have  tolerated  the  Manchu  reign  up  to  the 
present  time ;  though  there  have  been  a  number  of  re- 
bellions against  it  in  different  parts  of  the  empire. 
Not  only  have  the  Manchus  failed  to  improve  internal 
conditions,  but  they  have  also  neglected — even  opposed — 
international  trade  and  diplomatic  relations  with  the 
civihzed  nations  of  the  world. 

It  is  only  since  the  disastrous  war  with  Japan  in  1894 
that  Manchus  have  begun  to  understand  the  true  state  of 
affairs  in  their  country.  Since  that  event  various  national 
crises  have  followed  one  another  so  closely  as  to  keep  them 
in  a  constant  state  of  panic.  The  defeat  of  China,  the  huge 
giant,  by  the  plucky  dwarf,  Japan,  was  an  event  of  world- 


66        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

wide  importance.  Leading  European  nations,  Russia, 
France  and  Germany,  at  once  jealous  of  Japan's  victory 
and  opportunity  in  China,  formed  an  alliance  to  limit  the 
prize  of  Japan's  victory.  The  Island  Empire,  as  all  know, 
was  compelled  to  reUnquish  its  hold  on  Port  Arthur  and 
the  Liaotung  Peninsula.  The  immediate  effect  of  this 
diplomatic  victory  was  the  temporary  effacement  of 
England  in  the  Far  Eastern  political  situation,  the 
almost  stultification  of  Japan  and  the  rise  of  Russia  and 
France  as  the  most  powerful  friends  of  China.  Formerly, 
England  was  known  as  China's  friend  and  to  a  certain 
extent  her  protector,  but  her  refusal  to  join  the  alliance 
caused  the  loss  of  her  prestige.  Russia  and  France  held 
the  trump  cards  in  the  diplomatic  game  at  Peking.  Ger- 
many, eager  to  become  an  Asiatic  power,  unwisely  made 
the  murder  of  two  German  missionaries  the  occasion  for 
seizing  Kiaochao  in  Shantung.  This  event  caused  a 
general  demand  on  the  part  of  the  European  nations  for 
equal  compensation.  Russia  soon  "  leased  "  Port  Arthur 
and  Dalny,  to  the  utter  consternation  of  Japan ;  France 
was  given  Kwang  Chou  Bay  and  England  received  Wei- 
haiwei  and  Kowloon,  opposite  Hongkong.  Italy  also 
demanded  a  port,  but  perhaps  because  of  her  impaired 
reputation,  through  her  African  venture,  was  denied  by 
China. 

These  were  days  of  distress  to  the  Manchu  Govern- 
ment. They  heard  the  nations  speak  of  "  spheres  of  in- 
fluence," they  were  constantly  asked  for  "  leases "  and 
♦'  concessions "  until  the  world  began  to  talk  of  the 
'•  break-up  of  China."  It  was  admitted  that  Manchuria 
and  the  neighbouring  territory  would  fall  to  Russia. 
Kwangtung,  Kwangsi  and  Yunnan  Provinces  would  be 
annexed  to  the  possessions  already  held  by  France  at 


The  Problems  of  the  Far  East  67 

the  south.  England  was  to  hold  the  valuable  Yangtse 
Valley.  Germany  was  to  obtain  Shantung,  and  Japan 
Fokien  Province.  The  whole  country  was  tense  with 
excitement.  The  most  sluggish  man  in  the  interior 
was  aware  of  the  danger  that  threatened  the  national 
existence.  Does  one  wonder  why  there  was  a  Boxer 
outbreak  ?  How  could  it  have  been  otherwise  ?  In  the 
period  of  this  excitement  the  American  missionary  was 
one  of  the  few  foreigners  whom  the  Chinese  trusted. 
They  understood  the  position  of  the  United  States 
towards  China  and  took  courage. 

With  the  settlement  of  the  Boxer  troubles  there  still 
remained  the  formidable  combination  of  Russia  and 
France,  with  Germany  sometimes  joining  hands  with 
them.  Against  this  combination  England  continued  to 
play  a  very  unimportant  part  in  the  affairs  of  China  and 
the  Far  East.  Japan  was  in  an  ugly  mood  and  was  pre- 
paring for  war.  England  and  Japan  before  the  close  of 
the  Chinese-Japanese  War  did  not  consider  their  inter- 
ests to  be  along  the  same  path,  but  in  the  period  of  their 
diplomatic  humiliation  they  clearly  saw  that  nothing  but 
a  closer  union  of  some  kind  could  alter  the  losing  game 
both  were  playing  in  the  affairs  of  China.  The  need  of 
mutual  support  was  the  cause  of  the  formation  of  the 
Anglo-Japanese  alHance  in  1902,  and  with  it  the  affairs 
at  Peking  became  more  interesting.  Japan  at  once  be- 
gan to  find  herself  and  to  question  Russia  as  to  the  date 
when  the  evacuation  of  troops  from  Manchuria  was  to 
take  place.  The  Anglo-Japanese  alliance  attained  its 
great  moral  dignity  through  our  late  secretary  of 
state,  John  Hay,  who  in  a  note  to  both  nations  indorsed 
the  principle  of  the  "  open  door  "  in  China.  The  policy 
of  Russia  and  France  in  the  Far  East  was  discredited ; 


68        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

the  United  States  and  Germany  to  a  certain  extent  gave 
their  moral  support  to  the  aUiance  that  stood  for  an 
"  open  door  "  for  commerce  in  China ;  Japan  made  prac- 
tical use  of  the  alliance  by  calling  upon  Russia  to  fulfill 
her  pledges  regarding  the  evacuation  of  Manchuria,  and 
when  no  satisfaction  was  obtainable  opened  the  war  for 
which  she  had  been  constantly  preparing  for  years. 
During  the  time  when  the  Japanese  were  as  busy  as  bees 
the  Russian  officers  in  the  Far  East  spent  most  of  their 
time  in  drinking  and  in  licentiousness.  There  was  no 
comparison  between  the  two  nations  in  their  preparation 
for  war.  Russia  made  her  mistake  in  refusing  to  invite 
Japan  to  become  her  ally  in  the  development  of  the  Far 
East.  But  Russia  in  her  unrighteous  methods  over- 
reached herself  and  Japan  has  now  taken  her  place  in 
the  diplomatic  councils  at  Peking.  The  very  terms  of 
peace  are  also  a  source  of  much  gratification  to  those 
interested  in  evangelical  missions.  It  is  fortunate  that 
Japan  did  not  receive  the  large  sum  of  money  asked  as 
reinbursement  for  the  expenses  of  the  war,  for  she  would 
have  used  it  largely  for  military  equipment  and  thus 
have  promoted  to  even  a  greater  degree  the  martial 
spirit  of  the  country, — a  great  misfortune.  It  will  be  in 
the  interest  of  Japan  and  all  the  Far  East  if  less  atten- 
tion is  given  to  the  construction  of  forts  and  arsenals  and 
more  to  schools,  colleges  and  laboratories,  in  order  to 
equip  the  young  men  for  helping  China  in  the  true  path 
of  progress  and  reform.  This  is  Japan's  true  mission  in 
China.  Already  thousands  of  young  Chinese  are  flock- 
ing to  Japan  to  receive  a  thorough  education.  There  is 
just  one  reason  why  this  emigration  of  students  to  Japan 
may  not  prove  beneficial  to  the  Manchu  Government. 
It  is  said  that  most  of  the  students  in  the  Island  Empire 


The  Problems  of  the  Far  East  69 

are  revolutionists  and  bitterly  opposed  to  the  present 
dynasty.  The  government  fears  them  and  only  recently 
issued  a  proclamation  directing  that  more  students  should 
go  to  Europe  and  America.  China  distrusts  Japan  and 
there  is  every  indication  that  the  ancient  and  traditional 
jealousy  between  the  two  countries  will  continue.  Though 
the  Chinese  know  that  they  cannot  oppose  the  hegemony 
of  Japan  in  the  Far  East  for  the  present,  they  believe 
that  this  condition  is  but  temporary  and  that  soon  China 
will  again  take  her  rightful  place  at  the  head  of  Asiatic 
affairs  and  Japan,  nolens  volens,  will  take  a  secondary 
place.  It  will  be  in  the  interest  of  Japan  to  make  China 
her  ally  just  as  far  as  China  is  wiUing  to  go  with  her. 
There  may  be  an  Asiatic  "  Monroe  Doctrine  "  formulated 
for  the  time  being,  for  China  expects  Httle  justice  at 
the  hands  of  European  nations.  All  her  experiences 
with  the  powers  of  Europe  from  the  earliest  times  down 
to  the  present  have  taught  her  that  they  are  robber 
nations.  Still  China  will  not  commit  herself  to  Japan 
any  more  than  to  a  European  power.  In  all  her  poverty 
China  remains  the  same,  she  has  faith  in  her  destiny. 
She  feels  instinctively  that  when  she  has  once  found  her- 
self again  she  will  need  no  defensive  league  with  any  other 
nation.  Fortunately  for  the  world  the  Chinese  are  not  a 
people  given  to  wars  of  conquest.  They  have  extended 
their  borders  by  "  squatting  "  upon  territory  adjacent  to 
their  own  country,  and  once  having  entered,  it  was  im- 
possible to  get  them  out.  The  aborigines  themselves 
sought  other  places  !  But  while  the  world  need  have  no 
fear  of  the  Chinese  outside  of  their  own  territory,  great 
catastrophies  will  without  doubt  take  place  in  China  by 
reason  of  the  many  conflicting  forces  now  at  work 
there. 


yo        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

The  Missionary  Problem 
This  is  a  burning  question  that  demands  the  attention 
of  all  Christian  powers.  The  talk  of  recalling  the  mis- 
sionaries from  China  is  idle  twaddle.  The  whole  ques- 
tion ought  to  be  taken  up  and  sifted  thoroughly  in  con- 
junction with  the  Chinese  Government.  In  the  first  place 
the  European  governments  ought  to  bring  pressure  upon 
China  to  cancel  the  special  decree  of  March  15,  1899,  in 
which  pohtical  status  on  equality  with  Chinese  mandarins 
was  granted  to  each  order  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  According  to  this,  bishops  were  given  the  rank 
of  viceroys  and  ordinary  priests  that  of  magistrates.  This 
has  brought  them  the  power  to  intermeddle  with  lawsuits 
which  do  not  concern  the  interests  of  their  church.  It 
would  fill  volumes  to  report  all  the  disturbances  this  in- 
terference on  the  part  of  the  Roman  Catholic  priests, 
who  are  supported  by  the  diplomatic  power  of  the  French 
Government,  causes  in  China  to-day.  All  foreigners 
suffer  more  or  less  because  of  this  shameless  use  or  mis- 
use of  power.  Inasmuch  as  all  Christian  governments 
are  disturbed  by  these  conditions  the  French  Govern- 
ment ought  to  be  requested  to  modify  or  wholly  with- 
draw her  political  aid  to  the  Catholic  priests  when  they 
take  up  lawsuits  that  do  not  concern  the  interests  of  the 
Church.  There  will  be  no  peace  to  the  missionary  prob- 
lem until  this  thing  is  stopped.  The  Chinese  Govern- 
ment made  a  serious  blunder  when  it  yielded  to  the  com- 
bined pressure  of  France  and  Russia  in  their  repeated  re- 
quest to  grant  these  special  privileges  to  the  Catholic 
priests.  The  whole  world  knows  it  was  a  mistake  and 
for  the  sake  of  peace  to  the  nations  having  Christian 
missionaries  in  China  and  for  China  herself,  this  error 


The  Problems  of  the  Far  East  71 

should  be  righted.     Then  we  should  hear  of  fewer  mas- 
sacres of  missionaries  in  China. 

Religious  Liberty  in  China 
The  Chinese  Government  is  afraid  to  grant  religious 
liberty  to  its  subjects  because  Christian  missions  are  con- 
sidered by  the  Chinese  as  upheld  by  the  European 
nations  by  the  power  of  force.  The  government  to  this 
very  day  makes  a  distinction  in  its  proclamations  regard- 
ing the  rights  of  Christians,  between  the  people  of  the 
country  and  the  people  belonging  to  the  new  teaching. 
The  very  juxtaposition  of  the  two  classifications  is  a 
sufficient  sign  to  all  the  enlightened  people  of  China  that 
the  government  is  hostile  to  Christianity.  There  is  no 
question  of  religious  liberty;  a  contemptible  toleration 
under  compulsion  is  all  that  China  has  granted.  The 
Christian  nations  have  given  missions  their  support,  but 
that  support  has  not  furthered  the  proclamation  of  the 
gospel  as  much  as  some  had  hoped.  Has  not  the  time 
come  to  try  a  new  method  ?  Would  it  not  be  possible 
to  adopt  the  same  method  that  has  been  carried  out  in 
Japan  for  many  years  ?  That  method  has  insured  the 
Japanese  Government  against  foreign  interference  in  do- 
mestic affairs,  and  the  elimination  of  that  danger  made  it 
possible  for  the  native  Christians  to  enjoy  complete  re- 
ligious liberty  because  the  government  did  not  need  to 
fear  that  the  Christian  subjects  would  appeal  to  for- 
eigners. The  one  objection  to  this  is  that  the  present 
Chinese  Government  cannot  under  any  circumstances  be 
compared  with  the  enlightened  Japanese  administration 
of  even  thirty  years  ago.  Nevertheless,  inasmuch  as  the 
missionary  problem  is  becoming  acute  and  something 


72        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

will  have  to  be  done  sooner  or  later,  why  not  give  China 
the  opportunity  to  prove  herself  ? 

The  Reform  Movement  in  China 
The  present  dynasty  of  China  must  inaugurate  far- 
reaching  political  reforms  ere  the  nation  can  enter  lipon 
a  new  era.  But  political  reform  is  the  very  thing  the 
Manchus  fear.  They  know,  as  every  one  else  does,  that 
they  are  no  more  able  to  carry  out  a  rational  political  re- 
form than  a  two  year  old  child  is  able  to  lead  an  army. 
The  conditions  in  China  therefore  are  vastly  different 
from  what  they  were  in  Japan  in  the  period  of  her  crisis. 
She  was  fortunate  in  having  a  good  and  benevolent 
sovereign,  aided  by  wise  statesmen  who  were  all  favour- 
able to  a  progressive  and  yet  conservative  reform.  But 
in  spite  of  these  wise  precautions  Japan  had  to  undergo 
several  crises.  The  path  of  reform  in  a  country  as  mis- 
erably governed  as  China,  must  be  one  of  great  tribula- 
tion, and  shedding  of  blood.  These  things  must  come 
and  we  need  not  deceive  ourselves.  The  conflicting 
forces  will  soon  clash.  We  have  sporadic  cases  of 
troubles  in  various  parts  of  China  constantly.  The 
Manchus  themselves  are  divided  and  trouble  may  begin 
should  the  Empress  Dowager  die.  We  cannot  but  feel 
that  a  change  of  dynasty  would  be  a  good  thing  for  the 
future  of  the  country,  but  missionaries  refrain  from  ex- 
pression of  such  sentiments  within  the  hearing  of  the 
Chinese  Christian.  The  people  themselves  feel  that  they 
ought  to  play  more  of  a  figure  in  international  politics 
and  blame  the  Manchu  Government  severely  for  the 
present  humiliation  of  their  country.  They  have  de- 
rived much  comfort  out  of  the  defeat  of  Russia.  It  has 
encouraged  them  to  such  an  extent  that  they  have  tried 


The  Problems  of  the  Far  East  73 

to  do  something  smart  themselves.  The  boycott  of 
American  goods  is  one  of  the  indirect  results  of  the 
"  yellow  races  finding  themselves."  The  discrimination 
of  America  against  Chinese  immigrants  was  known  all 
along  the  coast  of  China  for  many  years.  I  have  often 
explained  the  reason  to  the  people  on  my  field  to  their 
perfect  satisfaction,  but  since  the  late  war  they  have  re- 
ceived a  new  impulse  for  self-assertion,  and  naturally 
have  turned  their  attention  to  a  country  that  is  known  to 
be  practically  harmless.  They  might  have  turned  upon 
England  because  of  the  opium  wrong,  but  they  have 
learned  two  or  three  lessons  from  England  that  were 
very  costly.  It  would  be  a  mistake  on  the  part  of  our 
government  to  grant  any  concessions,  but  absolute  justice 
to  the  Chinese  stranger  coming  to  our  shores  ought  to  be 
given,  whether  there  be  a  boycott  or  not. 


Ill 

A  REVIEW  OF  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS  IN  CHINA 

China  has  ever  been  the  land  of  missionary  endeavour. 
The  teachings  of  Lao  Tsze  (604-504  b.  c),  or  Taoism, 
became  a  religious  force  through  the  land  soon  after 
the  death  of  the  sage,  and  in  a  corrupt  form  this 
has  remained  to  the  present  day  one  of  the  three  popu- 
lar religions  in  China.  The  teachings  of  Confucius 
(550-479  B.  c),  though  not  essentially  a  religion,  has 
controlled  the  lives  of  rulers,  public  officials  and  the 
literati  of  every  dynasty  of  the  empire  for  the  past  2,400 
years.  Buddhism,  first  carried  from  India  into  China 
about  the  year  216  b.  c,  met  with  considerable  opposi- 
tion. The  Indian  missionaries  were  cast  into  prison  and 
after  being  released  gave  up  their  missionary  work.  But 
250  years  later,  about  40  A.  d.,  the  Emperor  Ming-ti,  of 
the  Han  Dynasty,  dreamed  that  a  monster  golden  image 
appeared  and  addressed  him  with  the  words,  "  Buddha 
bids  you  send  to  the  western  countries  to  search  for  him 
and  to  get  books  and  images."  The  emperor  at  once 
sent  an  embassy  to  India,  which  returned  after  an  ab- 
sence of  eleven  years  bringing  with  them  an  Indian 
priest  and  teacher  who  translated  some  of  the  Buddhist 
books  into  the  Chinese  language.  From  that  time  on  to 
this  day  Buddhism  has  remained  the  popular  religion  of 
the  Chinese.  What  a  difference  it  might  have  made  in 
the  destiny  of  the  Chinese  nation  had  that  embassy  con- 
tinued its  search  for  a  saviour  to  a  country  still  more 
westward,  until  it  came  to  Jerusalem,  where  at  that  very 

74 


ICHANG  PAGODA,,  ICHAXG,  Upper  Yangtse  River 


Christian  Missions  in  China  75 

time  they  would  have  found  a  number  of  the  apostles  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ready  to  teach  them,  and  who  in- 
deed, perhaps  just  as  the  apostle  Paul  obeyed  the  call  to 
Macedon,  might  have  returned  with  them  to  China.  Why 
was  it  not  so  ? 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  know,  however,  that  there  ex- 
isted a  colony  of  Jews  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Chinese 
Empire  before  the  birth  of  Christ.  This  colony  of  Jews 
was  discovered  at  Kaifungfu  in  Honan  Province  by  the 
Jesuit  missionaries  during  the  seventeenth  century.  In 
the  year  1850  a  number  of  Chinese  Christians  were  sent 
to  visit  these  Jews  and  a  number  of  the  latter  were  in- 
duced to  come  to  Shanghai.  They  brought  some  of 
their  old  Hebrew  manuscripts  with  them,  which  were 
found  to  be  perfect  copies  of  many  of  the  books  of  the 
Old  Testament.  A  number  of  years  ago  the  well-known 
missionary,  Dr.  W.  A.  P.  Martin  of  Peking  undertook  a 
trip  with  the  express  purpose  of  visiting  this  colony  of 
Jews.  His  trip  to  Kaifungfu  and  his  experience  with 
this  people  is  described  in  his  most  interesting  book, 
"  A  Cycle  of  Cathay."  Dr.  Martin  says  that  "  to  all 
appearances  this  colony  will  die  out  as  a  distinct  people 
during  the  next  half  century,  inasmuch  as  they  have 
given  up  their  religious  worship  and  are  intermarrying 
with  their  heathen  neighbours.  I  have  copied  an 
extract  of  the  inscription  of  a  monumental  stone  regard- 
ing the  Jewish  religion.  It  reads  as  follows  :  *  With  re- 
spect to  the  religion  of  Israel,  we  find  that  our  first 
ancestor  was  Adam.  The  founder  of  the  religion  was 
Abraham :  then  came  Moses,  who  established  the  law 
and  handed  down  the  sacred  writings.  During  the 
dynasty  of  Han,  255  b.  C.-226  a.  d.,  this  religion  entered 
China.     In  the  second  year  of  Hiao-tsung,  of  the  Sung 


76        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Dynasty  (a.  d.  1164),  a  synagogue  was  erected  in  Kai- 
fungfu.  Those  who  attempt  to  represent  God  by  images 
or  pictures  do  but  vainly  occupy  themselves  with  empty 
forms.  Those  who  honour  and  obey  the  sacred  writings 
know  the  origin  of  all  things.  Eternal  reason  and  the 
sacred  writings  mutually  sustain  each  other  in  testifying 
whence  men  derived  their  being.  All  those  who  profess 
this  religion  aim  at  the  practice  of  goodness  and  avoid 
the  commission  of  vice.'  "  Dr.  Martin  well  adds,  "  It  is 
affecting  to  think  of  this  solitary  stone  continuing  to 
bear  its  silent  testimony  after  the  synagogue  has  fallen 
and  the  voice  of  its  worshippers  ceased  to  be  heard. 
Like  that  which  records  the  story  of  the  Nestorian  mis- 
sion in  China,  it  deserves  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  precious  monuments  of  religious  history."  The 
Mohammedans  brought  their  religion  to  China  at  a  very 
early  period  in  their  history.  They  established  promis- 
ing missions  in  all  the  important  cities  along  the  Pacific 
Coast.  There  are  still  Mohammedans  found  in  the  cities 
of  Canton  and  Fuchow  and  in  many  of  the  cities  further 
north.  It  may  be  said  that  they  are  decreasing  rapidly 
in  the  southeast  of  the  empire  while  in  certain  provinces 
to  the  northwest  their  number  has  increased  wonderfully. 
Some  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  whole  northwest  of  the 
Chinese  Empire  will  soon  become  Mohammedan.  They 
are  said  to  number  over  ten  millions  at  the  present  time. 
They  frequently  rise  up  in  rebellion  against  the  govern- 
ment and  are  much  feared. 

The  first  effort  of  any  Christian  body  to  bring  the 
gospel  to  the  Chinese  was  made  by  the  Nestorians  of 
Persia  during  the  sixth  century.  They  came  overland 
from  Persia  and  began  their  first  missionary  conquests  in 
the  northwest  provinces.    They  were  men  of  great  ability 


Christian  Missions  in  China  77 

and  soon  made  their  influence  felt  over  the  whole  em- 
pire. The  leading  missionaries  were  received  with  much 
favour  by  the  princes  and  the  court,  then  residing  at 
Hsinganfu  in  the  Shensi  Province.  Their  converts  must 
have  numbered  many  tens  of  thousands,  for  they  had 
their  appointed  archbishops  and  bishops  throughout  the 
empire  and  the  adoption  of  the  Christian  faith  by  the 
whole  nation  seemed  very  promising ;  but  in  some  way 
a  reaction  set  in  and  the  Nestorians  were  fearfully  perse- 
cuted, with  the  result  that  for  centuries  there  have  been 
no  traces  remaining  in  China  of  their  heroic  work,  ex- 
cepting a  stone  tablet  commending  their  work  which 
was  erected  by  the  government  in  the  year  A.  d.  781, 
during  the  reign  of  Te-tsung  of  the  T'ang  Dynasty.  It 
would  seem  that  the  same  temptation  which  has  come 
thus  far  to  every  missionary  effort,  befell  the  Nestorians 
also.  It  was  that  of  intermeddHng  with  the  political  life 
of  the  country  and  allowing  themselves  to  be  drawn  into 
the  inevitable  factional  poHtics.  In  a  country  Hke  China 
it  is  a  difficult  problem  to  keep  aloof  from  political  in- 
fluence and  yet  maintain  a  successful  mission.  In  that 
country  every  popular  religion  is  more  or  less  regulated 
and  governed  by  the  throne.  If  a  struggling  religion  is 
detected  in  a  compromising  attitude  towards  the  dynasty, 
vengeance  will  always  be  the  result. 

Another  weakness  connected  with  the  Nestorian  mis- 
sion was  the  failure  on  their  part,  so  far  as  we  know,  to 
translate  the  word  of  God  into  the  Chinese  vernacular. 
We  know  that  they  made  much  of  their  Syriac  manu- 
scripts and  presented  a  copy  of  the  entire  Scriptures 
to  the  emperor,  but  we  look  in  vain  for  arty  trace  that 
will  lead  us  to  believe  that  the  Christian  congregations 
possessed  the  word  of  God  in  their  own  language.     Per- 


78        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

haps  herein  we  have  the  real  cause  why  the  entire  mis- 
sion was  blotted  out  by  persecution.  Confucianism  was 
crushed  out  of  existence  for  a  time,  but  when  the  tyi^nt 
died  the  Confucian  books  were  brought  forth  from  their 
hidden  places,  and  became  the  foundation  of  a  revival  of 
Confucianism  that  swept  the  whole  nation.  This  lack  is 
the  more  deplorable  since  we  know  that  the  art  of  print- 
ing was  popular  at  that  period  of  Chinese  history.  Thus 
all  we  possess  to-day  of  their  work  in  China  is  the 
stone  tablet,  which  praises  the  Nestorian  missionaries  for 
their  good  work. 

The  chapter  relating  the  story  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  in  China  is  far  more  interesting.  The  first  mis- 
sionary attempt  of  the  Roman  Church  was  undertaken 
in  1292  by  John  Corvino,  who  came  to  Peking  and  es- 
tablished a  successful  mission  there.  He  found  recogni- 
tion and  favour  from  the  Mongolian  (Yuan)  Dynasty  but 
his  highest  hopes  were  frustrated  upon  the  expulsion  of 
the  Mongolians  from  the  throne  of  China.  The  new  dy- 
nasty, the  powerful  Ming,  would  have  none  of  his  propa- 
ganda and  the  undertaking  was  given  up.  For  two  or 
three  centuries  nothing  was  done  by  the  Roman  Church 
in  the  sending  of  missionaries  to  China,  but  in  1582  the 
Jesuits,  led  by  Francis  Xavier,  Michael  Ruggiero,  Mitteo 
Ricci  and  others  made  a  second  attempt  to  Christianize 
China,  and  this  attempt  was  destined  to  be  more  successful. 
Francis  Xavier  was  not  able  to  preach  in  China  as  he 
longed  to  do,  but  Ricci  established  himself  in  Shanking. 
By  patience  and  tact  he  was  able  to  enter  Peking  and  to 
make  that  his  headquarters.  Here  he  soon  made  use  of 
his  opportunities  and  by  the  power  of  his  striking  per- 
sonality and  his  learning  made  a  deep  impression  upon 
the  official  class.     The  missionaries  imported  scientific 


Christian  Missions  in  China  79 

instruments  and  taught  astronomy  and  surveying.  They 
soon  made  a  large  place  for  themselves  in  public  Hfe,  and 
some  of  the  priests  were  appointed  to  important  political 
positions.  The  result,  however,  was  that  they  were  com- 
pelled sooner  or  later  to  take  sides  in  political  intrigues 
and  became  the  objects  of  envy  and  suspicion.  The  time 
came  when  they  were  no  longer  in  favour  at  the  royal 
palace  and  the  crash  seemed  to  have  come  when  in  1665 
the  leading  Jesuits  in  pubHc  office  were  disgraced  and  an 
imperial  edict  issued  against  the  Roman  CathoHc  reHgion. 
They  persevered,  however,  and  were  able  to  regain  the 
favour  of  the  emperor,  Kang  Hsi,  who  restored  them  to 
their  former  rights  and  granted  liberal  toleration  for  mis- 
sionary effort  throughout  the  empire.  The  Jesuits  were 
able  men  and  by  reason  of  their  heroic  work  their  con- 
verts became  very  numerous  throughout  the  land.  At 
one  time  it  appeared  as  though  the  Emperor  Kang  Hsi 
himself  had  become  a  convert  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
faith. 

Thus  having  imperial  favour  and  holding  pubhc  office 
themselves  the  Jesuits  were  indeed  a  power  in  China. 
Had  these  devoted  men  been  able  to  continue  their  work 
unmolested  it  would  have  been  a  question  of  merely  a 
generation  or  two  and  China  might  have  been  added  to 
the  number  of  the  countries  recognized  by  the  Roman 
hierarchy  as  the  daughters  of  the  Holy  Church.  But 
there  soon  came  a  period  when  the  successors  to  these 
great  men  were  less  able  as  statesmen  than  as  theologians 
and  soon  allowed  themselves  to  enter  into  a  controversy 
with  the  Dominican  priests  with  regard  to  the  proper 
word  for  God,  the  worship  of  Confucius,  ancestor  wor- 
ship, and  so  forth.  The  Jesuits,  influenced  by  their  large 
political  interests,  naturally  maintained  a  hberal  interpre- 


8o        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

tation.  The  worship  of  Confucius  and  of  ancestors  con- 
stituted to  them  only  civil  ceremonies.  To  the  Domini- 
cans, however,  who  were  jealous  for  the  spiritual  welfare 
of  the  Church,  all  these  acts  were  declared  idolatrous  and 
their  views  were  sustained  by  a  decision  of  Innocent  X, 
who  issued  a  decree  denouncing  the  worship  of  ancestors 
and  of  Confucius  as  idolatrous  and  not  to  be  tolerated  by 
the  Church.  The  Jesuits,  however,  did  not  give  up  the 
fight.  Within  ten  years  they  were  able  to  obtain  a  de- 
cree from  Pope  Alexander  VII,  in  which  their  position 
was  sustained  and  approved.  If  things  had  been  left 
alone  at  this  stage  of  the  controversy,  disaster  might  have 
been  averted,  but  the  whole  question  was  laid  before  the 
Chinese  emperor,  Kang  Hsi,  and  naturally,  as  the  head 
of  the  Chinese  nation,  he  decided  that  the  worship  of 
Confucius  and  of  ancestors  were  national  and  civil  rites, 
but  that  the  disputed  point,  the  worship  of  heaven,  was 
in  fact  the  worship  of  the  true  god.  This  decision  was 
sent  to  the  Pope  (Clement  XI)  who  repudiated  the  views 
of  the  heathen  emperor  and  claimed  for  himself  the  right 
to  govern  matters  relating  to  the  Church.  On  the  other 
hand  the  emperor  refused  to  recognize  the  authority  of 
the  pope  in  his  domain  and  refused  the  right  to  live  in 
China  to  missionaries  who  did  not  agree  with  his  views 
in  these  matters.  The  missionaries  got  themselves  into 
a  dilemma,  and  the  whole  question  brought  about  a  re- 
action in  the  mind  of  Emperor  Kang  Hsi.  He  finally 
issued  an  edict,  by  which  a  large  number  of  missionaries 
were  banished  from  the  land.  Only  a  few  of  the  Jesuits 
whom  he  thought  subservient  to  his  views  were  permit- 
ted to  remain,  and  the  Catholic  converts  were  persecuted 
in  many  parts  of  the  land. 

The  following  Emperor,  Chien  Lung  (1736- 1795),  not 


Christian  Missions  in  China  8l 

only  banished  every  foreign  missionary  from  China,  but 
ordered  all  his  subjects  who  had  hitherto  embraced  the 
doctrines  of  the  Roman  Church  to  recant  or  to  suffer 
death.  The  persecutions  which  followed  were  as  ter- 
rible as  Christians  ever  experienced.  Thus  the  splendid 
work  of  the  heroic  missionaries  of  that  period  was  oblit- 
erated. And  yet,  strange  to  say,  after  the  treaty  of  1858, 
which  granted  toleration  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
in  her  modern  attempt  to  carry  on  mission  work  in 
China,  a  surprising  number  of  the  descendants  of  the  old 
Catholic  converts  were  found  to  have  remained  true  to 
the  faith  of  their  parents  and  ancestors.  They  continued 
to  worship  God  secretly  in  their  own  way  for  over  two 
generations,  and  only  after  the  toleration  edict  did  they 
dare  to  become  known  again  as  Catholics. 

The  introduction  of  Christianity  into  China  during  the 
nineteenth  century  is  a  chapter  that  is  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  international  wars  and  treaties  made 
along  the  coast  of  China.  The  policy  of  the  Chinese 
Government  has  been  a  consistent  opposition  to  granting 
commercial  treaties  to  the  Western  nations  and  the  pre- 
vention, if  possible,  of  the  introduction  of  Christianity  by 
foreign  missionaries.  To  France  belongs  the  honour  of 
inducing  the  government  to  repeal  the  persecuting  inter- 
dicts of  the  past  century  and  to  issue  an  edict  of  tolera- 
tion. This  was  accomplished  in  1844.  It  granted  the 
right  to  missionaries  to  live  in  the  five  open  ports  of 
Canton,  Amoy,  Fuchow,  Shanghai  and  Chefoo,  and  to 
travel  inland  within  a  radius  of  twenty  miles.  The 
United  States  Government,  together  with  Great  Britain, 
was  able  through  its  agents  to  have  the  following  tolera- 
tion clause  inserted  in  the  treaty  of  Tientsin  in  1858.  It 
reads :     "  Art.  29.     The  principles  of  the  Christian  re- 


82         The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

ligioii  as  professed  by  the  Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic 
Churches  are  recognized  as  teaching  men  to  do  good  and 
to  do  to  others  as  they  would  have  others  do  to  them. 
Hereafter  those  who  quietly  teach  and  profess  these  doc- 
trines shall  not  be  harassed  or  persecuted  on  account  of 
their  faith.  Any  person,  whether  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  or  a  Chinese  convert,  who  according  to  these 
tenets,  peaceably  teaches  and  practices  the  principles  of 
Christianity  shall  in  no  wise  be  interfered  with  or 
molested." 

The  Chinese  Government  had  shown  from  the  very 
beginning  of  its  intercourse  with  Western  nations  an  atti- 
tude that  was  not  only  unreasonable  but  positively 
abusive  at  times  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  other  course 
open  but  to  compel  her  by  force  to  treat  Western  nations 
with  that  respect  and  courtesy  laid  down  in  international 
law.  But  China  does  not  learn  easily,  and  lessons  once 
learned  are  soon  forgotten  by  the  rulers  of  the  Celestial 
Empire.  Thus  the  punishment  inflicted  by  England  in 
1840,  the  seizure  of  Hongkong  and  the  opening  of  treaty 
ports,  were  forgotten  or  disregarded  and  the  same  policy 
of  treating  European  nations  as  vassals  and  inferiors  was 
resumed  soon  after.  Such  treatment  was  too  much  for 
Great  Britain,  and  when  the  opportunity  offered  itself  in 
the  arbitrary  destruction  of  the  lorcha  Arrow  with  her 
cargo  of  opium  another  conflict  with  China  was  begun. 
The  city  of  Canton  was  soon  at  the  mercy  of  the  British 
ships,  but  the  imperial  government  at  Peking  refused  to 
make  peace.  At  this  point  France  united  her  forces 
with  England  and  after  a  short  struggle  the  city  was  cap- 
tured. England  demanded  more  concessions  for  her 
trade  and  a  large  indemnity,  while  France  insisted  upon 
the  extension  of  privileges  to  Christian  missions,  besides 


Christian   Missions  in  China  83 

receiving  a  specific  amount  of  money  for  indemnity. 
These  new  concessions  to  French  Catholic  priests  were 
afterwards  also  granted  to  English  and  American  mis- 
sionaries by  reason  of  the  "  most  favoured  nation " 
clause,  by  which  is  understood  that  concessions  granted 
to  citizens  of  one  nation  by  treaty  are  to  be  granted  to 
the  citizens  of  another  country  having  a  treaty,  without 
any  special  negotiation. 

France,  as  is  well  known,  claims  the  protectorate  over 
all  Roman  Catholic  missions  in  China.  This  has  given 
that  government  an  opportunity  to  make  a  place  of  great 
influence  for  herself  in  diplomatic  relations  with  China. 
In  return  for  this  favour  shown  to  her  by  the  Roman 
CathoHc  Church,  France,  through  her  minister  at  Peking 
and  her  consuls  throughout  China,  has  always  been  at 
the  service  of  the  Catholic  missionaries.  For  many  years 
the  French  minister  had  urged  China  to  grant  to  all  the 
Roman  Catholic  missionaries  an  official  status  according 
to  their  grade.  After  many  refusals  it  was  finally 
granted.  On  the  fifteenth  of  March,  1899,  the  Chinese 
Government  published  an  imperial  decree  in  which 
political  status  is  given  to  each  order  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  hierarchy.     To  quote  from  the  decree  : 

"  It  has  been  agreed  that  local  authorities  shall  exchange 
visits  with  missionaries  under  conditions  indicated  in  the 
following  articles :  — 

"  In  the  different  degrees  of  the  ecclesiastical  hierarchy 
bishops  being  in  the  rank  and  dignity  the  equals  of 
viceroys  and  governors,  it  is  agreed  to  authorize  them  to 
demand  to  see  viceroys  and  governors.      .     .     . 

"  Vicars-general  and  archdeacons  will  be  authorized  to 
demand  to  see  provincial  treasurers,  judges  and  taotais. 

"  Other  priests  will  be  authorized  to  demand  to  see 


84        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

prefects  of  the  first  and  second  class,  independent  prefects 
and  other  functionaries. 

"  These  functionaries  will  naturally  respond,  according 
to  their  rank,  with  the  same  courtesies." 

Attention  was  at  once  called  to  the  fact  that  under  the 
*'  most  favoured  nation  "  clause  the  decree  applied  equally 
to  Protestant  missions  and  that  communications  had  been 
addressed  to  Protestant  missions  acquainting  them  with 
their  new  privileges.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  not  one 
Protestant  missionary  accepted  the  offer  of  the  Chinese 
Government.  We  could  not  afford  to  compromise  our 
position  as  spiritual  leaders  for  any  honours  of  a  heathen 
nation.  For  the  Roman  Catholic  priests,  however,  it 
meant  a  great  deal.  Now  they  could  flaunt  their  polit- 
ical power  in  the  faces  of  the  heathen  and  compel  the 
magistrates  to  recognize  them  as  equals.  They  soon 
had  large  crowds  of  people  flocking  to  their  missions  all 
over  the  empire.  The  French  legation  and  consulates 
were  overwhelmed  with  lawsuits  that  were  reported  to 
them  by  the  priests  in  behalf  of  their  converts.  I  have 
seen  a  French  priest  recognize  men  as  converts  who 
were  about  to  be  arrested  and  cast  into  prison  for  crimes 
committed,  and  for  a  money  consideration  or  the  promise 
of  a  donation  towards  his  building  fund,  would  demand 
from  the  magistrate  that  the  man  be  left  unmolested  or 
else  he  (the  priest)  would  carry  the  case  to  the  French 
consul,  who  naturally  would  complain  about  the  magis- 
trate to  the  viceroy.  The  magistrate,  fearing  results  of 
being  reported  to  his  superiors,  would  give  orders  to  let 
the  man  go.  On  another  occasion  two  men  were  sen- 
tenced to  imprisonment  for  assault  and  robbery.  These 
men,  fearing  the  arm  of  the  law,  had  united  with  the 
French  Catholic  Mission  only  a  few  days  previous,  but 


Christian  Missions  in  China  85 

this  was  ground  enough  to  enable  the  French  priests  to 
demand  the  immediate  release  of  the  prisoners.  And 
the  request  was  granted.  One  can  easily  imagine  what 
the  effect  of  such  actions  would  be  in  a  country  like 
China,  where  at  any  time  a  large  percentage  of  the  people 
have  lawsuits  of  some  kind  pending.  Thousands  hurried 
to  the  French  mission  and  by  bribing  the  native  priest 
were  made  to  appear  to  the  priest  as  regular  adherents  to 
the  faith.  In  all  cases  some  aid  is  rendered.  Conditions 
at  Kityang  were  such  at  one  time  that  the  magistrate 
was  in  abject  fear  of  the  power  of  the  French  priest. 
The  native  priest  was  looked  upon  as  the  most  important 
person  in  the  whole  district.  None  of  the  Confucian 
literati,  who  usually  are  supposed  to  have  influence  at 
the  yamen,  would  dare  to  try  conclusions  at  court  with 
him.  Fortunately  such  a  state  of  things  does  not  last 
very  long;  in  China  changes  do  sometimes  come  about 
very  suddenly.  As  a  rule  the  native  priests  are  men  of 
very  humble  origin,  and  having  had  no  discipline  over 
themselves  from  early  childhood,  nor  even  understanding 
the  law  of  self-discipline,  they  as  a  rule  run  to  excess. 
The  opportunities  for  making  money  without  the  French 
priest's  knowledge,  in  the  case  of  which  we  write,  were 
too  great  and  ever  present  to  be  resisted.  "  When 
Jeshurun  waxed  fat,  he  " — well  it  is  the  same  story ;  in 
time  he  failed  to  be  as  submissive  towards  the  French 
priest,  his  master,  as  he  ought  to  have  been.  He  was 
soon  discharged  and  in  order  to  prevent  him  from  con- 
tinuing to  make  money  his  discharge  was  reported  at 
the  yamens.  Such  changes  are  frequently  made,  and  the 
discharged  person  at  once  leaves  the  city  for  fear  of  the 
many  enemies  who  are  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to 
even  up  an  old  score. 


86        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

While  we  must  admit  that  the  French  CathoHc  mis- 
sions do  attract  large  numbers  of  men,  it  is  but  just  to 
say  that  much  of  their  work  is  composed  of  hay  and 
stubble.  Only  a  small  percentage  of  the  adherents  are 
true  believers.  We  must  give  the  priests  credit  for  recog- 
nizing this  to  be  so,  for  they  are  slow  in  receiving  these 
men  into  their  church.  It  is  an  open  boast  of  hundreds 
of  Catholic  adherents  that  they  are  not  expected  to  at- 
tend religious  service  every  Sunday ;  three  times  a  year 
is  all  that  is  required  of  them  and  they  tell  this  to  some 
of  our  people  as  though  they  commiserated  the  Chris- 
tians who  had  to  go  to  church  every  Sunday.  There 
are  thousands  enrolled  upon  the  books  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  missions,  who  have  never  given  the  spiritual 
claims  of  the  Church  more  than  a  passing  thought,  but 
who  simply  have  their  names  upon  the  list  that  in 
case  any  trouble  should  arise  they  may  find  powerful 
"  friends "  to  aid  them.  This  costs  something,  but  it 
gives  assurance. 

That  this  condition  of  affairs  does  not  redound  to  the 
credit  of  foreign  missions  stands  to  reason.  Many  of  the 
best  people  are  filled  with  disgust  and  anger  to  think 
that  the  foreigner  should  allow  himself  to  be  misled  by 
men  who  have  no  reputation  themselves  and  who  are  in 
constant  strife  with  their  neighbours.  It  becomes  still 
more  unfortunate  when  converts  of  evangelical  missions 
become  involved  in  trouble  with  a  convert  of  a  Roman 
Catholic  mission.  The  usual  method  of  procedure  on 
the  part  of  the  evangelical  mission  is  to  place  the  case  in 
the  hands  of  a  trusted  preacher  to  bring  about  an  arbi- 
tration. The  Roman  Catholics  alway  prefer  a  lawsuit, 
for  they  are  almost  sure  to  win  out  against  the  other 
man.     It  has   been  the  good  fortune  of  the  author  to 


Christian  Missions  in  China  87 

have  succeeded  in  almost  every  trouble  in  having  the 
matter  settled  by  arbitration.  Still,  in  two  or  three  cases 
this  was  impossible;  and  although  he  was  morally  cer- 
tain that  the  cause  of  his  convert  was  righteous,  the 
magistrate  even  admitting  to  him  personally  that  this 
was  so,  yet  when  the  time  for  a  decision  came  pressure 
from  the  French  priest  had  been  brought  to  bear,  so  that 
the  mandarin  did  not  dare  render  a  decision  in  favour  of 
the  Protestant.  It  will  avail  very  little  to  complain  to 
our  consul  about  a  case.  In  the  first  place  he  is  not 
interested  in  that  sort  of  thing ;  and  secondly,  it  would 
involve  a  contest  with  the  French  consul.  The  inter- 
ference of  the  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  in  lawsuits 
has  embittered  many  of  the  natives  against  missionary 
work.  It  sometimes  causes  riots  and  even  results  in  the 
slaughter  of  the  French  priests.  The  matter  must  be- 
come an  international  question  and  must  sooner  or  later 
be  regulated  by  the  world  powers.  On  the  other  hand 
it  may  be  possible  that  the  present  agitation  against  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  in  France  may  result  in  a  modi- 
fication of  the  custom  of  her  consuls  in  acting  as  cham- 
pions for  the  Roman  Catholic  interests.  And  yet  France 
has  gained  more  politically  by  this  method  than  has  the 
Roman  Catholic  hierarchy  which  she  has  aided. 

The  first  evangelical  missionary  who  went  to  China  was 
Robert  Morrison.  He  was  sent  under  the  auspices  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society  and  sailed  for  China  towards 
the  close  of  1806.  The  East  India  Company,  however, 
refused  to  grant  him  a  passage  on  one  of  their  ships  and 
Morrison  was  obliged  to  go  to  New  York  and  from  thence 
sail  to  China  on  a  ship  of  the  firm  Olyphant  and  Com- 
pany, arriving  at  Canton  in  1807.  He  endured  the 
enmity    of    the    European    CathoHc   priests,  who   were 


88        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

jealous  of  his  appearance.  In  1809  he  married  and  also 
accepted  the  position  of  translator  for  the  East  India 
Company.  This  gave  him  a  position  of  security  and  he 
was  able  to  give  considerable  time  to  the  translating  of 
Scriptures  and  to  other  literary  work  besides  his  official 
duties.  His  evangelistic  efforts  were  not  successful  in  the 
number  of  converts.  He  baptized  his  first  convert  in 
1 8 14,  seven  years  after  his  arrival  in  China.  Morrison, 
however,  did  a  great  work  in  giving  a  trustworthy  trans- 
lation of  the  Holy  Scriptures  to  a  people  numbering  one- 
fourth  of  the  entire  human  race.  Others  have  taken  up 
the  evangelistic  and  literary  work  he  laid  down  and  both 
have  made  the  present  success  in  China  possible. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  review  the  life  work  of  the 
numerous  faithful  servants  of  God  who  have  laboured  in 
China  during  the  past  century.  No  field  ever  presented 
greater  obstacles  to  the  gospel,  and  yet  no  field  ever 
offered  greater  prizes.  Books  have  been  written  concern- 
ing the  work  and  worth  of  many  of  these  men.  We 
need  only  mention  the  names  of  Milne,  Wilkinson,  John 
Burns,  Edkins,  Legge,  Lechler,  Hudson  Taylor  and  a 
host  of  others.  China  has  had  her  quota  of  missionary 
lights,  and  the  work  of  these  men's  hands  has  been  such 
as  to  vindicate  the  cause  of  foreign  missions.  No  one 
factor  has  been  such  a  constant  force  for  China's  awaken- 
ing as  the  missionary  cause,  and  no  cause  has  been  so 
helpful  in  bringing  the  East  to  an  understanding  with  the 
West  as  this  missionary  endeavour.  At  every  critical 
period  of  China's  relation  with  the  West,  men  of  long 
experience  in  the  missionary  movement  were  called  upon 
to  give  their  own  native  countries  the  benefit  of  their 
experience.  At  times  some  were  also  selected  as  agents 
for  the  Chinese  Government,  due  to  the  fact  that  they 


Christian  Missions  in  China  89 

were  men   of  integrity,  known  as  such  by  the  govern- 
ment. 

The  present  prosperous  condition  of  missionary  work 
in  China  is  due  not  a  little  to  the  foundation  work  of 
these  able  men. 


IV 

THE  DOMESTIC  POLITICAL  SITUATION  IN  CHINA 

The  international  disturbances  of  the  Far  East  during 
the  past  generation  have  had  their  origin  to  a  large  ex- 
tent in  the  deplorable  internal  condition  of  the  Chinese 
Empire.  The  oldest  and  largest  country  in  the  world 
has  become  the  prey  of  the  nations  because  she  does  not 
know  how  to  regulate  her  own  domestic  affairs.  It  is 
still  true  in  international  politics  as  it  is  in  the  realm  of 
nature  that  "  wheresoever  the  carcass  is,  there  will  the 
eagles  be  gathered  together."  The  fundamental  law  gov- 
erning the  whole  land  of  China  to-day  is  that  might 
makes  right.  This  principle  has  controlled  the  actions 
of  the  people  for  centuries  and  has  brought  about  the 
twofold  division  throughout  the  entire  kingdom  :  namely, 
the  Strong  and  the  Weak.  It  is  impossible  to  mention 
one  sphere  of  life  in  China  where  this  division  does  not 
form  the  line  of  demarkation  between  the  privileged  and 
the  down-trodden  classes.  It  rules  with  the  greatest  ex- 
actness in  the  royal  palace  and  courts  at  Peking.  It  has 
complete  sway  over  the  destinies  of  the  cities,  towns  and 
villages  in  their  relation  to  one  another.  Every  clan  and 
family  is  either  weaker  or  stronger  than  another  and  ac- 
cording to  that  important  fact  will  know  its  place  in 
life.  People  upon  making  acquaintance  with  one  another 
will  usually  inquire  whether  their  family  or  clan  belongs 
to  the  weaker  or  the  stronger  party  in  their  locality.  If 
we  ask  what  are  the  conditions  that  determine  this  hne 
of  cleavage  in  society  it  will  not  be  so  easy  to  answer  in 

90 


Domestic  Political  Situation  in  China       9I 

a  few  sentences.     In  some  cases  where  cities  and  towns 
are  involved,  numbers  and  courage  may  be  determinative; 
and  yet  the  author  has   known   instances  where  a  few 
rich  towns  were  able  to  control  the  destinies  of  a  very 
large  territory  with  such  rigour  and  spirit  of  injustice 
that  a  great  struggle  resulted,  involving  nearly  a  thou- 
sand villages  in  a  desperate  clan  fight  and  costing  the 
lives  of  over  a  thousand  men  before  the  strife  ceased. 
In  this  case  the  Chinese  officials  made  no  honest  attempt 
to  put  down  the  disorder,  but  allowed  both  combatants 
to  struggle  for  nearly  a  whole  year  until  both  sides  were 
completely  exhausted  and  weary  of  the  strain  of  constant 
warfare.     Then  the  government  dispatched  a  large  num- 
ber of  soldiers  and  imposed  fines  amounting  to  several 
tens   of  thousands  of  dollars  upon  the  wealthy  families 
for  the  disturbance  of  public  peace.     It  would  not  have 
paid    financially  to   interfere  before  this   time,   as   both 
parties    would    perhaps    have   united    in    attacking   and 
driving  out  the  soldiers,  thus  causing  the  military  offi- 
cial's degradation  and  ruin.     But  when  the  psychological 
— no,  let  us  be  exact, — when  the  financial  moment  came, 
troops  were  sent  to  burden  the  towns  and  villages  until 
they  made   terms  with    the   government  official.     This 
was  only  accomplished  by  compelling  the  wealthy  to  sell 
their  lands    and  personal   property,  thus   bringing  new 
disaster  upon  the  people.     It  sometimes  happens  that 
when   the   terms    of   settlement    imposed   by   the    local 
magistrates  are  considered  too  severe,  the  people  raise  a 
considerable  fund  and  send  representatives  to  some  higher 
official  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  money  settlement  with 
him,  with  the  ultimate  aim  of  cutting  off  the  local  offi- 
cial from  participating  in  the  profits  of  this  "  squeeze." 
This  method  is  not  always  successful,  however,  and  may 


92         The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

cause  great  humiliation  to  the  protesting  people.  An 
attempt  was  made  many  years  ago  by  the  inhabitants  of 
the  city  of  Kityang  to  have  a  local  (likin)  tax  removed. 
Failing  to  induce  the  local  magistrates  to  grant  their 
request,  the  people  raised  a  sum  of  money  and  sent  ten 
of  their  most  honourable  citizens  to  the  viceroy  to  lay 
their  complaint  before  his  excellency.  They  were  re- 
ceived and  a  feast  given  in  their  honour ;  much  encour- 
aged, they  laid  their  petition  before  the  viceroy,  who, 
however,  had  them  notified  then  and  there  that  instead 
of  allowing  them  to  leave  the  yamen  (palace  of  the  gov- 
ernment official)  they  were  all  to  be  imprisoned.  Word 
was  sent  to  their  friends  at  Kityang  that  a  certain  sum  of 
money  would  have  to  be  paid  for  each  representative  ere 
they  could  be  released.  The  "  squeeze  "  was  enormous, 
the  entire  city  of  Kityang  subscribed  and  the  men  were 
redeemed.  That  was  the  end  of  agitation  against  their 
local  tax,  which  is  enforced  against  the  Kityang  people 
to  this  day. 

The  Government  and  the  People 
The  dynasty  ruling  China  at  present  is  not  Chinese, 
but  Manchurian,  of  the  nation  considered  for  centuries 
the  enemy  of  China  and  against  whose  invasions  the  Great 
Wall  had  been  built  as  early  as  the  third  century  before 
our  era.  The  Manchus  have  been  successful  as  no  pre- 
vious dynasty  was  in  adding  territories  to  the  empire, 
and  China  to-day  comprises  a  larger  area  of  territory  than 
ever  before.  In  order  to  be  fair  to  the  present  house  one 
ought  to  state  that  some  of  its  rulers  have  been  men  of 
singular  ability.  They  are  not  inferior  to  the  rulers  of 
past  dynasties.  Unfortunately  for  them,  they  live  in  a 
time  when  their  reign  is  necessarily  compared  with   the 


Domestic  Political  Situation  in  China       93 

enlightened  great  powers  of  the  world.  Having  failed  to 
progress  much  beyond  the  attainments  of  former  dynasties 
they  stand  before  the  world  condemned.  The  Chinese 
look  upon  the  Manchu  Dynasty  as  about  to  pass  away. 
This  is  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  for  the  past  generation 
there  has  been  no  proper  succession  to  the  throne.  In 
order  to  understand  the  present  complexity  regarding  the 
heir  it  will  be  necessary  to  go  back  some  fifty  years.  At 
that  time  Hsien  Feng  was  emperor.  One  of  his  secondary 
wives  had  the  good  fortune  to  present  him  with  an  heir 
to  the  throne.  This  happy  woman  was  Tszehi,  the  present 
Empress  Dowager,  who  gained  a  world-wide  fame  during 
the  Boxer  revolt.  The  emperor  at  once  raised  her  to  the 
rank  of  empress,  thus  placing  her  on  equal  rank  with  the 
first  empress,  who,  unfortunately  for  her,  did  not  become 
a  mother  of  a  son  to  the  emperor.  It  has  been  a  for- 
tunate circumstance  for  the  dynasty  that  these  two 
women  were  able  to  get  along  with  each  other  very  well 
and  that  their  political  actions  were,  to  the  nation  at 
least,  in  perfect  accord  and  unison.  Upon  the  death  of 
the  Emperor  Hsien  Feng,  when  the  heir  to  the  throne 
was  but  a  little  child,  the  first  empress  and  dowager 
Tszehi  exercised  a  regency  during  his  minority;  although 
this  was  accomplished  only  by  a  coup  d  "etat  in  which 
eight  of  the  leading  statesmen  were  beheaded.  When 
the  young  emperor,  who  is  known  under  the  title  of 
Tung  Chih,  began  to  show  evidence  oi  having  a  mind  of 
his  own  regarding  the  policy  of  his  reign  he  at  once 
caused  friction  with  the  two  empresses  and  the  ministers 
supporting  their  interests.  In  the  midst  of  this  crisis  he 
died  without  leaving  a  son  as  heir  to  the  throne.  The 
two  empresses  again  established  a  regency  and  selected 
as  heir  to  the  throne  a  child  four  years  of  age,  the  son  of 


94        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

the  youngest  brother  of  Hsien  Feng.  The  title  of  Kwang 
Su,  i.  e.y  "  Happy  Succession  "  was  given  to  this  young 
ruler.  He  is  now  about  thirty-six  years  old  and  because  of 
his  incHnation  towards  the  reform  movement  has  been 
shorn  of  his  royal  prerogatives  and  is  to-day  a  nonentity  in 
the  pohtical  affairs  of  the  empire.  Furthermore,  there  has 
been  no  son  born  to  him  as  heir  to  the  throne  and  again 
the  Empress  Dowager  has  chosen  a  young  lad  as  heir  to 
the  throne ;  but  this  person  has  already  shown  signs  of 
independence  of  thought  and  action  in  a  manner  not 
creditable  to  his  reputation,  and  has  been  disgraced  and 
the  contract  regarding  the  throne  cancelled. 

While  all  this  has  become  known  throughout  China 
the  people  do  not  seem  to  concern  themselves  with  the 
pohtical  problems  of  the  dynasty.  They  protest  at  times 
against  certain  local  conditions  in  a  very  drastic  manner, 
and  often  rise  up  against  the  unjust  action  of  a  magistrate ; 
instances  have  been  known  where  the  mandarin  has  been 
killed  by  one  of  these  mobs.  The  people  act  in  this  way 
not  in  rebellion  against  the  dynasty  but  simply  because 
of  local  reasons.  The  magistrate,  on  the  other  hand, 
having  paid  a  large  sum  of  money  to  his  superior  official 
for  the  occupancy  of  the  office  for  a  hmited  period 
(  usually  for  one  year)  finds  it  a  matter  of  necessity  to 
dispense  justice  according  to  the  profit  that  can  be  made 
out  of  the  case.  An  illustration  of  this  may  be  helpful  to 
us  and  may  indirectly  show  us  the  domestic  political 
situation  of  China. 

Justice  a  Purchasable  Article 
There  lives  in  the  city  of  Kityang  a  scholar  of  singu- 
lar ability  by  the  name  of  Ho  Lau  la.     During  the  war 
of  China  with  Japan  this  man  became  the  private  secre- 


Domestic  Political  Situation  in  China       95 

tary  to  one  of  the  Chinese  generals.  Upon  his  return  to 
Kityang  Ho  Lau  la  was  chosen  both  by  the  magistrate 
and  by  the  most  prominent  men  of  the  city  to  become 
the  head-man  of  the  city  elders.  The  latter  are  the  ad- 
visors to  the  magistrate  and  act  as  aldermen.  Ho  Lau 
la  was  a  man  given  to  ideas  of  reform,  and  frequently 
came  to  the  house  of  the  writer  and  often  invited  him  to 
his  own  to  meet  the  leading  minds  of  the  city  to  discuss 
the  merits  of  Western  learning  and  other  reform  move- 
ments. Our  relations  were  almost  brotherly.  During 
one  of  our  heart  to  heart  talks  about  the  condition  of  his 
country  tears  flowed  down  his  face  as  he  bewailed  the 
unpromising  attitude  of  the  government  officials  towards 
the  principles  of  reform,  progress  and  enhghtenment  of 
his  country. 

There  lived  in  Swatow  a  very  rich  merchant  by  the 
name  of  Sio  Kim  Thai,  who  by  paying  large  bribes  to  the 
higher  officials  of  the  Swatow  District  obtained  per- 
mission to  run  two  steamers  daily  between  Swatow  and 
the  city  of  Kityang.  This  undertaking  proved  a  great 
financial  success.  This  same  merchant  paid  for  a  long 
period  ^12,000  yearly  for  the  right  to  control  the  likin  or 
local  tariff  upon  all  merchandise  imported  into  the  county 
of  Kityang.  Such  a  monopoly  carries  with  it  the  right 
to  extort  taxes  out  of  the  people.  Sio  Kim  Thai  was 
personally  a  very  fair-minded  man,  but  his  agents 
stationed  at  Kityang  to  collect  the  tariff  and  to  manage 
the  affairs  of  the  steamers  at  that  end  of  the  line,  were 
men  who  made  unrighteous  use  of  their  powers.  Sio 
Kim  Thai  also  opened  a  large  bank  in  the  city  of  Kityang, 
and  though  a  non-resident,  he  exerted  an  influence  in 
that  city,  in  both  poHtical  and  commercial  affairs,  far  greater 
than  any  other  man  living  at  Kityang.     This  naturally 


96        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

caused  much  jealousy  in  the  city.  The  very  fact  that  he 
was  obliged  by  reason  of  his  monopoly  of  the  likin  to  pay 
the  magistrate,  besides  the  ;^i  2,000  a  year,  30,000  cash 
every  morning  (about  thirty  silver  dollars)  and  make  a 
special  gift  of  ;$ioo  the  fifteenth  of  every  month,  made 
him  a  "persona  grata"  with  the  magistrate,  and  it  was 
only  necessary  for  him  to  express  a  wish  as  to  the  result 
of  a  case  or  lawsuit,  to  gain  his  desire.  This  knowledge 
that  no  verdict  would  ever  be  pronounced  against  the 
interests  of  the  Swatow  bank,  likin  monopoly  and  steam- 
ship combination  made  the  men  connected  with  these 
concerns  practically  reckless.  Of  their  own  accord  they 
arrested  men  and  imposed  fines.  They  beat  men  un- 
mercifully who  perhaps  attempted  to  smuggle  goods  into 
the  city.  In  a  word,  might  was  right  and  they  practically 
had  the  city  and  the  inhabitants  in  their  control.  The 
elders  of  Kityang  attempted  to  ameliorate  this  condition 
but  the  magistrate  would  not  support  them  in  the  matter. 
After  a  time  it  so  happened  that  a  relative  of  Ho  Lau  la, 
an  old  woman,  in  attempting  to  board  the  steamer,  fell 
overboard  and  was  drowned.  The  Kityang  people  said 
that  she  was  rudely  pushed  by  one  of  the  sailors.  Every 
one  at  once  felt  that  a  crisis  had  come.  Many  of  the 
strongest  men  in  the  city  rallied  about  Ho  Lau  la,  and 
after  some  deliberation,  it  was  decided  to  send  a  repre- 
sentative to  the  noted  Sio  Kim  Thai.  The  latter  was 
sick  at  this  time  and  soon  died,  but  his  son,  Sio  Ghee 
Swan,  who  took  his  place,  was  a  scholar  and  in  many 
respects  a  shrewd  man,  for  many  years  a  personal  friend 
of  the  author.  He  received  the  Kityang  representative 
and  told  him  to  report  to  Ho  Lau  la  and  to  the  rest  of  the 
Kityang  people  that  there  was  no  money  to  be  made  out 
of  this  case,  and  that  he  would  rather  feed  tigers  than  dogs. 


Domestic  Political  Situation  in  China       97 

The  meaning  of  the  latter  expression  was  that  he  would 
rather  give  money  to  the  government  officials  than  to  the 
ordinary  people  seeking  a  financial  adjustment  of  their 
litigation  with  him.  When  his  reply  was  reported  to  the 
parties  concerned  their  anger  knew  no  bounds.  A  fund 
was  made  up  to  enter  upon  a  lawsuit  against  him. 
When  the  case  was  presented  to  the  magistrate  he  refused 
to  treat  it  seriously.  Ho  Lau  la  had  to  take  it  to  a 
superior  official,  the  toatai  of  Swatow  District.  This 
official  at  once  saw  that  there  was  money  to  be  made 
from  the  case  and  forthwith  sent  investigators  to 
Sio  Chee  Swan  to  inquire  into  the  matter.  These  sub- 
officials  were  received  most  kindly,  the  best  of  food  was 
prepared  for  them  and  when  they  were  about  to  leave  a 
snug  sum  of  money  was  pressed  into  the  hands  of  every 
one  with  instructions  how  to  report  the  case.  Ho  Lau  la 
had  had  his  innings ;  now  Sio  Chee  Swan  was  to  have 
his.  He  entered  complaint  against  Ho  Lau  la  at  the 
Theng  Hai  (Swatow  District)  yamen,  charging  him  with 
attempting  blackmail  and  extortion,  and  with  endeavour- 
ing to  injure  him  in  his  lawful  business.  He  urged  the 
magistrate  to  arrest  Ho  Lau  la  and  place  him  on  trial. 
There  is  no  question  in  the  mind  of  the  author  that  this 
mandarin  received  a  good  sum  of  money  to  push  the 
case.  Investigators  were  at  once  sent  to  the  city  of 
Kityang,  some  fifty  miles  distant,  to  arrest  Ho  Lau  la 
and  bring  him  to  the  Theng  Hai  magistrate.  Many  of 
the  influential  men  appealed  to  the  Kityang  mandarin  to 
prevent  these  men  from  another  county  from  arresting  a 
native  of  Kityang.  But  he  evidently  had  sold  himself 
for  a  certain  sum  and  refused  to  interfere.  As  the  author 
had  been  a  personal  friend  of  Ho  Lau  la's  for  many 
years  an  attempt  was  made  to  induce  him  to  take  up  his 


(jS        The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

case.  Ho  Lau  la  and  several  others  of  the  city  elders 
earnestly  besought  his  aid,  but  they  were  told  that  the 
author  had  to  be  true  to  the  laws  of  his  own  country  be- 
fore carrying  out  any  personal  desire.  It  was  pitiable  to 
notice  the  disappointment  written  upon  the  face  of  every 
man  present.  The  officials  from  Theng  Hai  had  arrived 
to  arrest  Ho  Lau  la.  The  Kityang  magistrate  was  in- 
duced by  a  money  consideration  to  degrade  him  by  taking 
his  literary  title  of  "  Siu  Tsai  "  from  him,  and  also  issued 
a  proclamation  denouncing  him  as  a  dangerous  man  and 
calling  upon  him  to  confess  the  wrong  he  had  done  to 
Sio  Chee  Swan  or  to  pay  the  penalty  of  imprisonment. 
After  the  writer's  refusal  to  help  him  by  laying  the 
matter  before  a  higher  Chinese  official,  or  perhaps  re- 
porting the  injustice  to  the  American  consul  at  Canton, 
there  seemed  to  Ho  Lau  la  no  other  alternative  but  to 
escape  from  the  city  as  soon  as  possible,  for  if  he  were 
once  taken  to  the  Theng  Hai  magistrate  he  might  never 
return  alive.  In  the  dead  of  night  he  left  the  city  and 
managed  to  get  to  Canton  without  being  arrested.  He 
had  friends  in  Canton,  but  they  could  do  nothing  for  him, 
as  the  influence  of  Sio  Chee  Swan  was  already  making 
itself  felt  in  the  capital  of  the  province.  The  persecuted 
man  wrote  out  his  case  explicitly  and  made  use  of  the 
privilege  which  every  citizen  of  China  has  to  lay  his  case 
before  his  excellency  the  viceroy.  Feeling  uncertain  as 
to  the  effect  of  this  document  and  partly  to  protect  him- 
self from  the  power  of  Sio  Chee  Swan  he  visited  the 
French  bishop,  who  but  shortly  before  this  time  had  been 
an  ordinary  missionary  priest  at  Kityang  and  an  ac- 
quaintance. He  told  his  story  and  asked  for  protection 
and  aid.  The  writer  was  told  some  time  after  this  that 
the  bishop  asked  him  why  he  did  not  go  to  his  personal 


Domestic  Political  Situation  in  China       99 

friend  the  American  missionary  and  seek  his  protection. 
The  position  maintained  by  him  regarding  matters  of 
such  a  nature  was  explained  to  him.  Suffice  to  say,  the 
bishop  not  only  promised  his  aid  but  enrolled  him  as  one 
of  his  converts,  though  he  had  never  before  that  time 
attended  the  worship  of  the  Roman  Cathohc  Mission. 
The  very  day  the  Roman  bishop  wrote  to  the  French 
consul  and  the  viceroy  regarding  the  case,  the  viceroy, 
aware  that  a  suit  of  such  moment  would  bring  large 
sums  of  money  to  his  court,  answered  the  petition  of 
Ho  Lau  la  and  promised  to  exact  justice  if  his  statement 
regarding  Sio  Chee  Swan  should  be  found  true.  This 
notification  of  the  viceroy,  however,  must  be  rightly 
understood.  It  did  not  mean  that  he  would  see  that 
justice  was  rendered  so  much  as  it  did  a  distinct  threat 
to  Sio  Chee  Swan  to  let  himself  be  heard  from  or  to 
stand  the  consequences.  Money  being  no  object  to  the 
latter  he  at  once  presented  his  side  of  the  case.  Mean- 
while the  powerful  influence  of  the  French  fell  into  the 
scale  of  Ho  Lau  la  and  there  at  once  was  a  check  against 
any  further  attempt  at  arrest  and  imprisonment.  The 
native  daily  paper  of  Swatow,  a  miserable  pubHcation, 
taking  its  instructions  from  Sio  Chee  Swan,  published  a 
series  of  articles  against  interference  by  missionaries  in 
lawsuits  which  were  wholly  secular.  This  was  as  a  pro- 
test against  the  French  bishop's  interference  and  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  question  of  religion.  In  this  the 
paper  was  right,  but  it  denied  its  own  position  by  making 
statements  regarding  the  Christian  faith  that  practically 
amounted  to  Boxerism. 

Sio  Chee  Swan  did  not  propose  to  let  matters  drop, 
in  spite  of  the  influence  of  the  French  priest.  He  now 
spent   large  sums   of  money   to  influence  the   officials 


loo      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

against  Ho  Lau  la  and  this  expenditure  of  money  induced 
the  viceroy  to  appoint  Deputy  Judges  who  were  to  go 
from  Canton  to  the  Swatow  District  and  investigate  the 
case.  This  investigation  did  not  result  in  any  change  in 
the  situation;  both  parties  were  more  hostile  towards 
each  other  than  ever.  To  make  a  long  story  short,  Ho 
Lau  la  had  all  his  honourary  titles  taken  from  him,  he 
lost  his  seat  as  a  member  of  the  city  elders,  and  another 
scholar,  a  rival,  was  appointed  in  his  stead.  Sio  Chee 
Swan,  on  the  other  hand,  still  controls  the  likin  tariff  of 
Kityang  County  and  the  steamships  running  from  Swatow 
to  Kityang ;  the  Kityang  bank,  though  boycotted  by 
some,  has  still  a  large  influence  in  the  city,  and  taken  all  to- 
gether the  interests  of  Sio  Chee  Swan  in  Kityang  are 
safer  to-day  than  ever.  But  to  make  this  a  fact  he  indeed 
had  to  feed  the  tigers.  He  must  have  spent  many 
thousands  of  dollars  to  accomplish  it.  We  would  per- 
haps reason  that  it  might  have  been  better  to  have  fed 
the  dogs,  i.  e.^  to  have  paid  a  reasonable  sum  for  dam- 
ages to  the  relatives  of  the  person  drowned.  But  in 
China  such  things  are  considered  differently  from  what 
they  are  in  this  country.  Once  Sio  Chee  Swan  admitted 
the  principle  of  recognizing  a  claim  against  his  interests, 
he  would  have  admitted  a  power  higher  than  himself  in 
the  Kityang  District  which  would  involve  the  destruction 
of  his  power ;  and  Ho  Lau  la  understood  his  conten- 
tion to  mean  nothing  less  than  this.  Such  cases  are  be- 
ing fought  to-day  all  over  the  land  and  in  the  last 
analysis  it  resolves  itself  into  the  principle  "  might  makes 
right."  He  who  has  the  longest  purse  or  the  biggest 
club  to  compel  the  recognition  of  his  superiority  will 
receive  the  recognition  of  the  government  officials  and 
have  his  own  will. 


Domestic  Political  Situation  in  China     loi 

Some  Imperative  Reforms 
Taking  this  case  of  Ho  Lau  la  and  Sio  Chee  Swan  as 
an  example  of  the  prevalent  conditions  throughout  China, 
let  us  deduce  certain  principles  that  need  to  be  recognized 
and  adopted  by  the  Chinese  Government  ere  a  genuine 
reformation  can  be  established. 

First.  The  present  system  of  government  must  be 
changed.  The  methods  employed  are  obsolete  and  ob- 
structive to  the  welfare  of  the  dynasty  itself.  The 
Chinese  officials  are  not  true  to  their  positions  as  magis- 
trates. There  must  be  the  reaffirmation  of  the  principle 
that  to  hold  a  pubHc  office  ♦'  involves  the  responsibilities 
of  seeking  the  welfare  of  the  people  "  and  not  merely  an 
opportunity  for  self-enrichment.  The  ancient  idea  of  the 
Chinese  was  that  the  official  was  the  father  and  mother  of 
the  people.  They  may  well  drop  out  the  patriarchal 
idea  but  get  a  new  hold  again  upon  the  idea  of  responsi- 
bility. The  much  praised  civil  service  system  of  the 
Chinese  Government  has  degenerated  and  many  men 
holding  official  positions  have  bought  the  literary  de- 
grees which  made  them  eligible  to  official  life.  Every 
mandarin  is  obhged  to  pay  a  certain  sum  of  money  for 
an  official  position,  the  payment  of  which  gives  him  the 
right  to  squeeze  as  much  money  out  of  the  people  of  his 
district  as  he  can.  And  he  is  compelled  to  do  it,  if  he  is 
to  meet  his  expenses  for  the  year  and  have  enough  money 
to  buy  another  position  the  following  year.  Then  he 
must  make  allowances  for  special  invitations  by  his 
superiors  to  attend  the  latter's  birthday  party.  All  this 
is  a  part  of  the  system. 

No  wonder  that  Sir  Robert  Hart,  after  observing  such 
methods  for  many  years,  should  have  earnestly  urged  the 
Chinese  Government  to  adopt  certain  reforms.     His  first 


102      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

point  was  that  magistrates  and  mandarins  appointed  to 
any  government  position  should  receive  a  certain  stipu- 
lated salary  and  that  the  income  of  his  district,  such  as 
land  taxes,  local  tariff,  court  fines  and  monopoly  taxes 
should  be  handed  over  to  the  government.  The  magis- 
trate of  a  first  class  district  was  to  receive  20,000  taels  or 
about  27,000  silver  dollars  ;  a  toatai,  or  head  of  a  depart- 
ment, was  to  receive  50,000  taels ;  and  a  governor  or 
viceroy  about  100,000.  These  salaries  from  our  point 
of  view  seem  to  be  reasonable,  but  they  are  very  meagre 
from  the  Chinese  official's  standpoint.  And  there  is 
little  doubt  that  this  was  one  of  the  principal  reasons  why 
the  reform  proposals  were  ignored. 

Second.  Sir  Robert  Hart  proposed  that  the  so-called 
"  land  tax  "  be  equally  distributed.  At  the  present  time 
it  is  only  the  peasant,  holding  land  for  agriculture,  who 
pays  a  land  tax.  No  property  holder  in  the  city  or  vil- 
lage, though  he  be  the  owner  of  a  thousand  houses,  pays 
a  regular  tax  to  the  government.  After  the  Boxer  revolt 
and  the  settlement  with  the  European  nations,  China  in 
its  despair  of  finding  ways  and  means  to  raise  money  to 
pay  the  yearly  indemnity  to  the  powers,  did  impose  a  tax 
upon  each  property  owner  whose  house  contained  more 
than  a  certain  number  of  rafters  in  the  roof.  This 
method  excluded  the  very  small  and  humble  homes  but 
made  the  owners  of  the  better  houses  pay  a  tax  of  from 
one  to  two  dollars.  When  this  became  known  in  the 
interior  there  arose  a  great  protest  against  this  unheard-of 
"  squeeze  "  as  they  called  it  and  the  references  made  to 
the  foreigners,  for  whose  benefit  the  money  was  said  to 
be  raised,  were  anything  but  complimentary.  It  was  on 
the  whole  a  shrewd  trick  of  the  government  to  keep 
awake  the  hatred  against  the  foreigner.     According  to 


Domestic  Political  Situation  in  China     103 

Sir  Robert  Hart's  proposal  a  regular  tax  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  government  was  to  be  placed  upon  all 
property.  Corporations  were  to  pay  a  tax  also.  Ac- 
cording to  the  careful  estimates  given  by  Sir  Robert 
Hart  there  would  be  an  annual  surplus  of  about  300,- 
000,000  dollars  Mexican,  which  could  be  used  for  internal 
improvements  and  for  the  development  of  the  army  and 
the  building  of  an  efficient  navy.  When  we  consider 
that  the  Chinese  Government  is  in  a  chronic  state  of 
bankruptcy  it  seems  surprising  that  this  scheme  of  reform 
was  not  adopted  at  once.  But  the  fact  is,  the  three  most 
powerful  viceroys,  all  of  whom  were  pure  Chinese  and  not 
Manchus,  opposed  the  plan  of  the  foreigner.  What  could 
have  been  their  underlying  motive  for  opposing  it? 
They  did  mention  that  the  great  Manchu  Dynasty  did 
not  need  to  adopt  measures  of  a  foreigner,  which  might 
only  further  the  power  of  the  latter  in  China.  But  one 
cannot  help  wondering  whether  they  were  afraid  of  hav- 
ing such  large  sums  of  money  as  were  proposed  by  Sir 
Robert  Hart  sent  out  of  China  proper  to  the  Manchus, 
and  thus  simply  enrich  the  dynasty  at  the  expense  of  the 
Chinese  people.  Furthermore,  it  is  customary  that  if  any 
proposals  are  adopted  by  the  government,  the  man  mak- 
ing the  proposals  is  appointed  to  inaugurate  them.  Now 
Sir  Robert  Hart,  though  an  Englishman,  is  still  a  full- 
fledged  Chinese  mandarin  of  very  high  degree.  To  have 
adopted  his  measures  would  have  meant  to  appoint  a 
foreigner  to  one  of  the  foremost  of  all  governmental 
positions.  Hence  the  opposition.  Still,  China  will  have 
to  reconsider  her  decision,  for  no  true  reform  can  be  es- 
tablished until  these  ideas  are  put  into  practice. 

Third.     The  Chinese  code  of  law  must  be  remodelled. 
Their  codification  of  law  is  very  crude.     The  dispensing 


104      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

of  justice  is  arbitrary  and  as  we  have  seen  in  the  case 
reviewed,  often  unsatisfactory.  China  has  made  but 
feeble  attempts  to  remodel  her  internal  laws  up  to  the 
present  time,  though  a  commission  of  able  men  has  been 
appointed  to  consider  the  subject.  How  much  wiser  did 
not  the  Japanese  statesmen  act  in  this  matter !  When 
they  realized  their  deficiency  in  this  respect  they  at  once 
set  to  work  to  reconstruct  their  national  code,  on  the 
basis  of  the  ancient  and  modern  European  codes.  After 
the  adoption  of  the  new  code  it  was  the  honest  enforce- 
ment of  it  which  was  the  greatest  proof  to  the  world  that 
Japan  had  entered  upon  a  new  era ;  and  soon  she  won  for 
herself  the  respect  of  the  powers.  Not  only  this,  but  the 
restrictions  of  ex-territoriality,  at  one  time  imposed  upon 
her  by  the  powers,  were  in  due  time  cancelled  and  Japan 
was  recognized  as  a  state  coequal  with  European  powers. 
But  with  China  all  this  is  different  in  spite  of  the  example 
of  Japan  for  the  past  fifty  years.  She  had  up  to  a  short 
time  ago  persistently  set  her  face  as  flint  against  any 
attempt  to  remodel  her  internal  laws,  using  the  same 
methods  of  legal  procedure  that  were  used  in  the  days 
of  the  ancient  Egyptians  and  Babylonians.  It  will  be 
impossible  for  the  nations  to  recognize  her  on  an  equal 
footing,  or  to  allow  her  to  try  any  European  as  long  as 
she  fails  to  reform  her  own  national  laws. 

Fourth.  The  local  spirit  setting  itself  against  the  in- 
terests of  the  country  must  cease.  What  we  mean  is 
this.  A  clan  may  take  a  dislike  to  the  building  of  a  rail- 
road through  its  territory  and  may  cause  unlimited 
trouble  to  the  railroad  builders  and  to  the  government  on 
the  grounds  of  *'  fung  shui  "  and  the  graves  of  their  an- 
cestor. The  same  also  holds  with  regard  to  the  opening 
of  mines.     Up  to  the  present  time  the  policy  of  the 


Domestic  Political  Situation  in  China     105 

Chinese  has  been  to  consider  the  interests  of  their  own 
locality  paramount  to  all  others.  The  dynasty  is  of  little 
consequence  as  long  as  their  local  interests  are  not  inter- 
fered with.  How  to  overcome  this  is  a  grave  problem. 
Nothing  but  education  can  solve  it;  and  it  seems  that 
this  education  must  be  Christian  in  order  to  sweep  away 
the  cobwebs  of  superstition  and  idolatry.  Two  years  ago 
the  Japanese  attempted  to  build  a  small  railroad  from 
Swatow  to  the  large  city  of  Chaochowfu.  The  engineers 
planned  the  road  to  pass  through  a  plain  among  a  num- 
ber of  villages.  As  the  Japanese  coolies  began  to  work 
in  the  neighbourhood  the  inhabitants  of  the  villages  drove 
them  away,  kiUing  two  of  them.  The  Japanese  retaliated 
by  killing  quite  a  number  of  the  Chinese.  The  case  was 
reported  to  the  central  government  and  large  claims  for 
indemnity  were  made  by  the  Japanese.  Commissioners 
were  appointed  to  settle  the  matter  and  it  is  said  the  vil- 
lages were  severely  punished.  This  goes  to  illustrate 
that  villages  will  not  recognize  the  right  of  a  franchise 
received  from  the  central  government  if  they  believe  that 
it  will  injure  their  "  fung  shui  "  or  the  "  good  luck  "  of 
their  vicinity.  It  is  a  matter  of  life  and  death  to  them, 
government  or  no  government.  It  indirectly  goes  to 
show  that  the  Japanese  are  not  as  careful  as  they  ought 
to  be  as  an  Asiatic  power  in  ignoring  the  prejudices  and 
superstitions  of  the  Chinese.  However,  to  do  so  under 
all  circumstances  would  simply  mean  the  abandonment 
of  every  innovation.  It  will  need  a  wiser  government 
than  the  present  to  cope  successfully  with  this  great 
problem  of  the  relation  between  local  and  national  in- 
terests. 


V 

THE  POWER  OF  SUPERSTITION  AND  DEMONOLOGY 
OVER  THE  MINDS  OF  THE  CHINESE 

The  writer  finds  it  necessary  to  confess  at  the  outset 
of  this  lecture  that  the  subject  which  we  are  about  to  con- 
sider does  not  appeal  to  him.  Still  to  have  ignored  the 
subject  of  the  power  of  superstition  and  the  behef  in 
demonology  would  have  been  to  neglect  one  of  the  most 
important  factors  in  the  every-day  life  of  the  average 
Chinese. 

The  subject  is  indeed  a  world  by  itself  and  if  we  were 
determined  to  understand  the  system  of  Chinese  supersti- 
tion it  would  be  necessary  to  renounce  our  reason  and 
common  sense  and  become  absolutely  foolish.  But  we 
must  not  judge  the  Chinese  in  the  same  manner.  With 
them  it  is  a  matter  of  "  race  inheritance,"  of  environment 
and  involuntary  training.  Almost  every  act  in  the  life 
of  the  Chinese  is  bound  in  some  way  or  other  with  su- 
perstition and  belief  in  evil  spirits.  This  slavery  to  gross 
ignorance  is  largely  due  to  the  influence  of  the  home  life. 
The  children  of  the  best  families  do  not  escape  the  evil 
effect  of  the  superstitions  of  their  mothers.  Nor  must  we 
blame  these  poor  women.  They  receive  no  education  in 
books  whatever.  It  is  a  common  thing  to  hear  of  a 
woman  who  has  spent  ten  or  twenty  years  of  her  life  in 
one  building  without  having  gone  more  than  one  hundred 
yards  from  her  abode  in  all  that  time.  Many  govern- 
ment officials  often  show  in  public  life  the  effects  of  their 
early  training  by  their  superstitious  mothers  ;  we  have 

io6 


Power  of  Superstition  and  Demonology    107 

had  officials  at  Kityang  that  were  as  superstitious  as  the 
most  ignorant  peasant.  For  instance,  no  new  official 
coming  to  Kityang  will  ever  attempt  to  enter  the  city 
except  through  a  certain  gate,  though  that  way  to  his 
yamen  is  longer.  He  believes  in  a  "  lucky  "  and  an  '<  un- 
lucky "  gate  as  everybody  else  does  and  it  is  an  impor- 
tant matter  to  enter  the  "  lucky  "  gate  in  order  to  insure 
prosperity  and  felicity  during  his  term  of  service  in  that 
city.  He  will  make  provision  to  have  incense  offered  at 
the  city  gates  to  prevent  evil  spirits  from  entering  the 
city.  In  seasons  of  drought  or  when  there  has  been  too 
much  rain  and  the  crops  are  threatened,  he  will  issue 
proclamations  forbidding  the  slaughter  of  cattle.  The 
eating  of  flesh  is  supposed  to  represent  an  irreverent 
spirit.  At  the  time  of  the  spring  solstice  all  officials  from 
the  great  emperor  down  to  the  magistrate  plow  the  field 
with  the  aid  of  an  ox  and  in  the  presence  of  their  retinue 
go  through  ceremonies  that  are  to  insure  a  good  crop  of 
grain  to  the  people.  If  this  does  not  happen  the  em- 
peror takes  all  the  blame  upon  himself  and  does  penance. 
The  literati,  the  best  educated  men  in  China,  are  equally 
superstitious.  The  teachings  of  Confucius  are  not  suf- 
ficiently positive  to  prevent  the  best  of  scholars  from  ob- 
serving the  absurd  rites  of  the  superstitious  and  ignorant 
people.  To  refuse  to  conform  to  the  usual  customs  and 
ceremonies  would  cost  them  a  good  deal  of  unpleasant 
experience  with  their  fellow  men.  The  average  Confucian 
scholar  is  a  man  who  moves  along  the  lines  of  least  re- 
sistence.  The  author  did  know  one  scholar  in  Kit- 
yang, not  a  Christian,  who  refused  to  worship  any  of  the 
idols  and  who  would  not  allow  any  Buddhist  or  Taoist 
priests  to  officiate  at  a  funeral  in  the  family.  For  this 
independence  the  man  was  considered  by  some  to  be 


lo8      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

possessed  with  a  malignant  spirit  who  would  lead  him  to 
sure  destruction.  Others  maintained  that  he  had  been 
influenced  by  the  strange  magic  of  the  foreign  mission- 
ary and  that  sooner  or  later  he  would  become  a  victim  of 
the  foreigner's  teachings  and  become  a  Christian.  The 
Confucian  scholars  have  a  god  of  their  own,  who  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  dispenser  of  literary  merit.  To  him  one 
must  go  and  seek  favour  ere  one  can  hope  for  success  at 
the  civil  service  examination  and  obtain  the  desired  de- 
gree.  Most  of  the  scholars  carry  some  kind  of  a  charm 
or  amulet  on  their  person.  They  have  a  superstitious 
reverence  for  paper  upon  which  something  has  been 
written.  If  such  a  piece  of  paper  were  found  to  lie  upon 
the  road  no  scholar  and  very  few  other  Chinese  would  dare 
pass  by  without  picking  it  up  and  placing  it  in  a  re- 
ceptacle which  may  be  found  in  every  village  and  town 
for  this  very  use.  The  paper  thus  gathered  is  burned  at 
specific  periods  by  some  person  appointed  by  the 
scholars  of  the  place.  At  one  time  I  happened  to  be 
thrown  in  company  with  a  scholar  in  Weichow  District 
who  was  on  his  way  to  the  important  government  ex- 
aminations at  Canton.  We  were  stopping  at  the  same 
inn  and  this  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  note  the  super- 
stitions of  a  Chinese  scholar.  He  frequently  offered  in- 
cense to  the  idols  of  the  inn.  When  the  time  came  to 
start  the  day's  journey  he  lighted  the  joss  or  incense 
sticks  and  fastened  them  to  the  sedan  chair,  in  order  to 
appease  the  evil  spirits  of  the  road  and  insure  for  himself 
a  prosperous  journey. 

But  if  the  educated  men  of  the  nation  are  given  to 
superstition  and  absurdities  what  then  is  the  condition  of 
the  poor  and  ignorant  class  ?  The  curse  of  superstition 
increases  as  the  burdens  of  life  press  heavier.    The  peasant 


Power  of  Superstition  and  Demonology    109 

adopts  means  to  insure  his  small  field  from  becoming  pos- 
sessed with  evil  spirits.  He  will  place  incense  sticks, 
worship  paper  and  cooked  food  on  his  field  to  appease 
and  ward  them  off.  Should  he  meet  with  an  accident  or 
be  taken  sick  while  at  work  in  the  field,  he  will  take  it  as  a 
sign  that  the  evil  powers  have  taken  possession  of  his 
field.  He  at  once  fears  for  the  safety  of  his  life  and  in 
many  cases  refuses  any  longer  to  plow  or  to  work  in  that 
field.  It  is  abandoned  and  known  as  a  *'  haunted  field." 
The  Chinese  Christians  are  wholly  emancipated  from  the 
fear  of  evil  spirits  and  in  many  cases  are  able  to  obtain 
possession  of  these  supposed  "  haunted  fields  "  for  a  small 
sum  of  money.  Some  of  them  have  been  able  to  rise 
from  a  condition  of  poverty  to  a  position  of  easy  circum- 
stances by  this  method.  The  pagans,  of  course,  can- 
not understand  the  daring  of  the  Christians.  To  them 
the  temerity  of  such  a  course  is  inviting  certain  destruction. 
The  fact  that  Christians  escape  unharmed  for  the  time 
being  is  only  accounted  for  by  supposing  that  the  Chris- 
tian possesses  a  secret  of  magic. 

"  Haunted  houses "  are  very  common.  A  band  of 
Christians  in  the  village  of  Cie  Chng  were  very  eager  to 
obtain  a  building  to  use  as  a  meeting-house.  After  con- 
siderable deliberation  they  concluded  to  ask  for  the  use 
of  the  neglected  and  partly  dilapidated  ancestral  temple. 
This  building,  at  one  time  the  best  in  the  village,  had 
been  abandoned  many  years  before  because  the  site  had 
been  condemned  as  the  cause  of  the  retrogression  of  the 
entire  clan  and  the  degeneration  of  the  village.  The 
spirits  of  the  ancestors,  it  was  said,  were  no  longer  will- 
ing to  make  their  abode  in  the  temple  and  the  evil  spirits 
had  taken  possession  of  it.  A  new  temple  for  the  spirits 
of  the  ancestors  was  built  immediately  at  considerable 


110      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

cost  and  the  old  building  allowed  to  decay.  The  village 
experienced  quite  a  shock  when  it  became  known  that 
the  Christians  had  expressed  the  desire  to  make  use  of 
this  "  haunted  temple  "  of  the  ancestors  as  a  house  of 
worship.  Relatives  and  friends  tried  to  show  them  the 
terrible  consequences  of  their  foolhardiness.  Others 
more  opposed  to  their  religion,  but  not  as  benevolent, 
were  willing  that  they  should  try  their  luck  with  the 
building.  They  expected  of  course  that  the  results  would 
be  disastrous  to  the  Christians  and  therefore  be  an  effect- 
ive check  to  their  optimistic  faith  and  a  barrier  to  further 
growth  of  the  new  religion  at  Cie  Chng.  The  Christians 
renovated  the  old  temple  and  a  day  was  set  for  formal 
occupation.  A  number  of  Christians  came  from  Kit- 
yang,  Chim  Khe  and  Mi  O  to  celebrate  the  great  event. 
Some  of  the  visitors  brought  beautiful  scrolls  which  were 
hung  upon  the  walls  of  the  temple.  Many  of  the  villagers 
were  certain  that  the  day  would  result  in  some  calamity 
and  that  some  Christian  would  die  or  at  least  become  ill 
by  reason  of  his  daring  to  enter  the  abode  of  evil 
spirits.  But  as  the  day  wore  on,  many,  seeing  the 
spiritual  joy  of  the  believers,  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  followers  of  Jesus  Christ  had  the  power  of  expelling 
evil  spirits  from  a  temple  of  the  ancestors  as  they  did 
from  the  Buddhist  temple  at  Mi  O  some  time  before. 
This  method  of  reasoning  on  the  part  of  the  heathen  re- 
sulted in  quite  a  number  in  the  village  becoming  Chris- 
tians. Many,  however,  still  believe  to  this  very  day  that 
we  are  casting  out  the  evil  spirits  through  the  agency  of 
spirits  more  malignant  and  of  greater  power. 

Men  and  women  are  given  to  making  pilgrimages  to  a 
distant  temple,  where  they  hope  to  obtain  favour  from  the 
idols  and  a  favourable  answer  to  their  earnest  petitions. 


Power  of  Superstition  and  Demonology    in 

I  have  frequently  met  men  and  women  as  they  returned 
from  these  trips  and  have  always  been  impressed  with 
their  serious  demeanour.  I  have  frequently  tried  to  enter 
into  conversation  with  them,  in  order  to  tell  them  of  One 
who  has  taken  upon  Himself  our  griefs  and  burdens,  but 
I  always  found  them  very  reticent,  due  to  the  fact,  as  I  was 
told,  that  they  considered  themselves  still  under  the  influ- 
ence of  their  great  god  to  whom  they  had  gone,  and  who 
had  at  last  given  them  what  they  had  sought  so  long. 
They  believed  that  any  conversation  with  man  would 
have  the  effect  of  effacing  this  mysterious  influence.  Some 
even  refuse  to  talk  for  many  days  with  their  fellow  pil- 
grims and  neighbours.  As  time  passes,  however,  they 
realize  to  their  dismay  that  they  were  only  deluded.  Un- 
der such  conditions  they  always  receive  the  message  of 
the  native  evangelist  or  foreign  missionary  with  intense 
eagerness.  Many  believe  on  Christ  the  very  first  time 
they  hear  the  message,  and  though  they  do  not  know 
much  of  Christian  truth,  they  are  to  all  intents  true  dis- 
ciples, for  they  want  to  learn  to  live  the  Christian  life. 
When  Christ  comes  into  their  lives  the  thraldom  of  super- 
stition and  fear  of  evil  spirits  cease.  They  take  the  amu- 
lets and  charms  which  they  had  been  carrying  on  their 
bodies  and  throw  them  away.  In  a  coin  collection  be- 
longing to  the  author  there  are  such  coin-amulets,  some 
of  them  nearly  2,000  years  old,  that  had  been  worn  by 
Chinese  women  to  insure  them  the  good  fortune  of  be- 
coming mothers  of  boys.  Other  coins  are  noted  for  me- 
dicinal use,  and  if  certain  parts  are  swallowed  will  cure 
malignant  fevers,  and  one  coin  is  said  to  heal  a  fractured 
bone,  if  tied  to  the  injured  spot. 


112      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Superstition  in  Public  Life 
In  times  of  peace  and  plenty  one  might  pass  through 
a  number  of  cities  and  towns  of  China  and  not  be  cogni- 
zant of  any  absurd  superstition.  But  in  times  of  plague, 
famine,  or  an  uprising,  the  whole  country  becomes  an 
excited  mob,  ready  to  carry  out  any  measure  which  will 
appease  the  gods  and  insure  the  usual  tranquillity  again. 
A  few  years  ago  the  bubonic  plague,  or  "  black  death," 
broke  out  in  the  city  of  Kityang.  The  inhabitants  at 
once  made  arrangements  to  humour  the  spirits  of  the  an- 
cestors and  the  gods.  A  large  number  of  theatre  plays 
were  set  up  nightly  all  over  the  city,  and  the  idols  were 
brought  out  of  the  temples  and  given  the  most  conspicu- 
ous places  to  see  the  plays.  But  the  coming  together  of 
such  large  numbers  of  the  inhabitants  every  night,  standing 
crowded  close  up  to  one  another,  did  not  relieve  the  city 
of  the  plague,  no  matter  how  much  the  idols  may  have 
enjoyed  themselves. 

Instead  of  a  few  scores  of  people  dying  every  day  hun- 
dreds succumbed.  Men  grew  very  excited.  Some  claimed 
to  have  received  messages  from  the  gods  to  become  "  me- 
diums" to  lead  the  people  out  of  distress  and  death.  In 
order  to  insure  belief  on  the  part  of  the  people,  these  men 
would  demand  that  red-hot  charcoals  be  laid  upon  the 
ground,  and  they  would  deliberately  walk  upon  this  path 
of  hot  coals  barefooted.  Others  would  wash  their  bodies 
with  boiling  oil,  carry  red-hot  iron  between  their  teeth, 
lie  upon  nails  driven  through  boards,  the  nails  entering 
deep  into  the  flesh;  some  would  stab  a  long  iron  rod 
through  both  cheeks  and  hold  the  rod  in  place  by  biting 
upon  it  with  their  teeth ;  another  would  have  a  ladder 
made  of  swords  and  knives  and  would  walk  up  and  down 
barefooted  upon  the  sharp  blades,  bleeding  terribly,  of 


Power  of  Superstition  and  Demonology    113 

course.  The  people  follow  implicitly  the  dictates  of  such 
men.  They  are  considered  to  be  possessed  with  a  spirit  that 
can  bring  disaster  or  prosperity  upon  any  individual  fam- 
ily, or  even  upon  the  whole  community.  When  the  peo- 
ple were  dying  at  the  rate  of  two  hundred  a  day  the  writer 
happened  one  morning  to  be  standing  outside  his  gate, 
close  by  the  river.  He  heard  the  noise  of  a  large  crowd 
of  men  coming  down  the  road  from  the  direction  of  the 
newly  built  chapel.  As  the  mob  came  closer  he  saw  they 
were  carrying  a  man  upon  a  few  planks  of  wood,  through 
which  long  nails  had  been  driven.  The  man  was  bleed- 
ing profusely  from  the  wounds  the  nails  were  making  in 
his  body.  He  also  had  thrust  an  iron  rod  through  both 
cheeks  and  was  holding  it  between  his  teeth.  The  crazy 
glare  of  his  eyes,  the  white  of  his  teeth  and  the  blood 
flowing  down  his  face,  was  a  sight  not  soon  to  be  forgot- 
ten. I  at  once  realized  that  the  coming  of  the  mob  from 
the  city  along  our  road,  which  terminates  at  a  ferry  in 
front  of  our  mission  gate,  involved  certain  elements  of  dan- 
ger. It  was  too  late  to  retreat  into  the  house,  lest  this 
fellow  interpret  my  going  as  the  result  of  fear,  and  con- 
coct some  plan  detrimental  to  our  entire  mission  plant. 
For  a  moment  he  glared  at  me  fiercely,  while  I  tried  to 
appear  interested.  Had  he  cried  out  then  and  there  that 
it  was  the  foreign  missionary  who  was  the  cause  of  the 
terrible  plague,  that  he  must  be  killed  and  the  mission 
houses  destroyed,  he  would  have  been  obeyed  at  once, 
regardless  of  future  consequences.  But  this  incident  was 
to  end  in  a  comedy.  The  "possessed"  looked  in  another 
direction  towards  the  ferry  and  commanded  that  he  be 
taken  into  one  of  the  ferry  boats.  Immediately  the  few 
boats  were  filled,  and  ere  they  had  rowed  more  than  one 
hundred  feet  from  the  shore,  he  cried  out,  "The  water  at 


1 14      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

this  place  is  good  to  use.  Let  everybody  in  the  city  come 
out  and  get  water  here  to  wash  himself  and  to  clean  his 
house."  With  this  they  all  came  ashore,  and,  with  cries 
and  exultation,  made  for  the  city.  Soon  crowds  came  with 
pails  and  buckets  to  dip  water  at  the  ferry  in  front  of 
our  mission.  I  tried  to  tell  some  of  the  "water  of  life," 
but  they  were  all  intensely  excited.  Meanwhile,  the 
plague  continued  to  carry  off  hundreds  of  victims. 

The  people  fear  the  evil  influences  of  certain  localities 
in  every  district.  Thus  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of 
Kityang  fear  the  evil  spirits  that  are  constantly  attempt- 
ing to  enter  the  city  from  the  northeast.  It  is  a  fact, 
moreover,  that  the  northeastern  portion  of  the  city  had 
been  the  most  disreputable  for  generations  up  to  fifteen 
years  or  so  ago.  This  was  partly  due  to  the  fact  that 
numerous  piratical  attacks  were  made  upon  the  inhabit- 
ants living  outside  the  northeast  gate  and  also  perhaps 
to  the  destruction  of  a  village  close  to  that  locality  by 
the  marauders  prowling  up  and  down  the  river.  In  the 
year  1893  Dr.  Wm.  Ashmore  bought  a  site  close  to  the 
ruins  of  this  village  and  just  alongside  the  newly  estab- 
lished headquarters  of  the  steam  launch  company,  which 
had  placed  two  excellent  launches  on  the  river  to  run 
between  Swatow  and  Kityang  city.  A  two-storied  mis- 
sion cottage  was  erected  without  any  difficulty,  and  later 
on  a  larger  building  to  be  used  for  hospital.  Then  two 
high  dwelling  houses  were  put  up  and  a  large  building 
for  worship,  and  at  the  present  time  the  mission  is  erect- 
ing a  hospital  higher  and  larger  than  the  former  building 
and  in  all  these  undertakings  there  has  been  no  protest 
on  the  part  of  the  "  doctors  of  the  fung  shui "  supersti- 
tion. On  the  contrary,  they  have  given  out  the  state- 
ment that  the  higher  the  walls  of  buildings  on  the  north- 


Power  of  Superstition  and  Demonology    115 

east  side  the  more  fortunate  will  it  be  to  the  whole 
city.  These  mission  buildings  are  therefore  according 
to  these  wiseacres  a  distinct  blessing  and  the  fact  that  the 
authorities  of  the  "  fung  shui "  system  have  said  so  has 
checked  the  animosity  and  fears  of  a  hundred  thousand 
people.  The  opening  of  the  steam  launch  Hne  running 
twice  a  day  from  Kityang  to  Swatow  has  brought  the 
business  centre  nearer  to  the  northeast  gate  and  to-day 
there  is  no  section  of  the  city  so  prosperous  as  that  close 
to  the  mission  headquarters.  The  founders  of  the  mis- 
sion builded  better  than  they  could  know  when  they 
selected  the  east  side  of  the  city.  Had  they  gone  to  the 
west  side  they  would  have  had  no  end  of  trouble  in 
erecting  mission  buildings.  There  the  system  of  "  fung 
shui  "  would  have  demanded  that  the  houses  should  not 
obstruct  the  '*  good  influences  "  from  entering  the  city, 
and  perhaps  the  missionaries  might  not  have  been 
allowed  to  build  there  at  all.  There  seems  to  be  there- 
fore a  method  in  their  superstition  and  if  one  could 
always  hit  upon  the  proper  thing  one  need  have  but  very 
little  trouble  with  the  Chinese.  Shortly  after  the  author 
had  erected  a  large  dwelHng  and  the  commodious  house 
of  worship  at  Kityang,  a  member  of  one  of  the  foremost 
families  came  to  his  house  and  offered  him  several  hun- 
dred dollars  if  he  would  seek  a  suitable  site  as  a  grave 
for  his  deceased  father.  The  man  had  to  be  told  that 
while  the  missionaries  did  give  attention  to  proper  loca- 
tion for  their  mission  dwellings,  they  were  not  yet  pre- 
pared to  enter  the  "  fung  shui  "  business  ! 

The  Belief  of  the  Common  People  in  Demonology 

The  Chinese  people  beHeve  in  demoniacal  possession 

as   sincerely  as  we  do  in  the  laws  of  gravitation.     To 


li6      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

them,  whether  pagan  or  Christian,  there  is  no  doubt  as 
to  the  reality  of  demons.  The  foreign  missionary  in 
China,  however,  is  very  reticent  in  expressing  any  opin- 
ion on  the  subject.  In  the  course  of  years  he  comes 
across  many  cases  of  lunacy  and  epilepsy  which  the 
Chinese  persist  in  calling  demoniacal  possession.  This 
is  due  to  their  lack  of  knowledge  in  pathology.  Still, 
when  a  whole  race  like  the  Chinese  believe  in  such  a 
thing  one  is  likely  to  come  across  some  very  peculiar 
cases.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  relate  a  few  curious  inci- 
dents in  connection  with  this  behef  which  came  under 
the  author's  observation. 

The  first  case  is  that  of  Chiap  Pheng,  a  young  fellow 
of  twenty-five  years.  He  was  a  respectable  lad  before 
becoming  addicted  to  the  gambling  habit.  After  he  be- 
came a  gambler  he  neglected  every  duty  of  his  life.  He 
worshipped  the  idols  of  the  gamblers  with  a  great  deal 
of  zest  and  soon  gained  the  reputation  among  his  fellow 
gamesters  of  being  able  to  direct  men  how  to  worship  the 
idols  so  as  to  insure  success  in  their  play.  Finally  he 
himself  was  worshipped  by  some  of  the  gamblers.  He 
seemed  to  be  dissatisfied  with  his  condition  and  longed 
to  be  able  to  break  away  from  the  life  he  was  leading. 
But  the  temptations  and  the  companionship  of  the  gam- 
blers seemed  to  have  a  superhuman  hold  upon  him.  One 
day  he  fell  in  with  an  evangelist,  who  preached  Christ 
Jesus  to  him.  Chiap  Pheng  knew  nothing  of  book  learn- 
ing though  he  was  naturally  a  bright  and  intelligent  man. 
The  truths  he  heard  seemed  to  make  a  deep  impression 
upon  him  and  he  longed  more  than  ever  to  find  relief. 
The  more  he  thought  about  it  the  worse  his  condition 
seemed  to  become.  He  threw  himself  into  the  worship- 
ping of  the  idols  of  gamblers  with  such  intensity  that  he 


Power  of  Superstition  and  Demonology    117 

seemed  to  himself  another  person.  His  fellows  made 
matters  worse  by  worshipping  him  as  a  medium  for 
obtaining  good  luck.  In  a  condition  of  semi-insanity  he 
strayed  into  a  prayer-meeting  one  Friday  night  in  the 
autumn  of  1896.  There  were  perhaps  a  dozen  or  more 
Chinese  Christians  present  besides  the  missionaries. 
Nothing  unusual  occurred  until  we  all  knelt  to  pray, 
when  Chiap  Pheng  arose  with  a  loud  cry  and  began  to 
run  about  the  room  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
"  Siang-ti  lai  Ho,  Siang-ti  lai  lio  !  "  '•  God  has  come, 
God  has  come  !  "  Soon  after  we  arose  Chiap  Pheng  fell 
heavily  upon  the  hard  tile  floor  as  though  he  had  been 
thrown.  He  remained  unconscious  for  a  few  minutes. 
The  Christians  present  said  that  a  demon  had  taken 
possession  of  him  and  prayers  were  offered  in  his  behalf. 
As  he  came  to  himself  he  began  to  foam  about  the  mouth 
and  uttered  words  like  these :  "  Chi  kai  nang  in  sok 
Jaso,  i  sok  uhy'  i.  e.,  "  This  man  does  not  belong  to  Jesus, 
he  belongs  to  me."  In  all  the  years  since  this  happened 
the  last  clause, — •*  he  belongs  to  me,"  has  bothered  the 
writer  more  than  anything  else.  Who  is  it  that  is  speak- 
ing in  the  first  person  ? 

The  Chinese  Christians  remained  together  long  after  the 
missionaries  retired.  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  find 
Chiap  Pheng  in  the  chapel  the  next  morning  eating  his 
rice  and  seemingly  a  changed  man.  The  pastor  of  the 
Kityang  church  and  the  evangelist  continued  to  instruct 
him  in  Christian  truth,  and  he  remained  several  days  ab- 
sorbing all  the  instruction  he  was  able.  His  return  to  his 
native  village  caused  considerable  comment.  People 
saw  that  the  once  half-demented  Chiap  Pheng  seemed  to 
be  actually  of  a  right  mind,  and  what  was  equally  re- 
markable he  took  no  interest  in  gambHng  whatever.    The 


li8      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

surprise,  however,  soon  changed  into  disgust  when  it  be- 
came known  that  Chiap  Pheng  had  become  a  Christian 
and  that  he  was  preaching  the  new  religion  to  all  the 
people.  His  aged  father  was  influenced  by  the  village 
elders  to  endeavour  to  compel  him  to  worship  the  ances- 
tors. If  he  refused  he  was  told  that  he  could  not  remain 
in  the  village.  A  great  crisis  came  to  Chiap  Pheng  when 
he  was  pressed  not  only  by  his  father  but  by  all  the 
elders  of  the  village  to  show  his  filial  piety  by  the  wor- 
ship of  his  ancestors.  He  felt  that  he  ought  to  have 
nothing  to  do  with  any  other  worship  but  that  of  the 
living  God  through  Jesus  Christ.  However,  being  inex- 
perienced and  not  realizing  any  bad  results,  he  soon  sur- 
rendered to  the  demands  of  the  elders  and  of  his  father. 
He  worshipped  and  sacrificed  to  the  tablets  of  the  ances- 
tors, with  the  result  that  ere  the  sun  had  set  that  very 
day  he  was  as  irrational  as  ever  and  had  to  be  dragged 
from  the  gaming  tables.  Fortunately  he  was  soon  found 
by  one  of  the  Christians,  who  brought  him  to  the  chapel, 
where  it  is  said  a  somewhat  similar  scene  took  place  to 
the  one  at  the  prayer  meeting.  I  did  not  see  him  under 
the  condition  of  relapse  but  met  him  shortly  after  he  was 
restored  to  a  normal  condition  again.  I  heard  the  pastor 
tell  him  how  to  avoid  all  such  temptations  and  that  for 
the  present  it  might  be  best  for  him  not  to  return  to  his 
pagan  home.  From  that  time  until  the  present  day 
Chiap  Pheng  has  proved  himself  a  faithful  Christian.  He 
has  a  considerable  gift  in  preaching,  and  though  he  does 
not  receive  any  salary  for  his  services  he  frequently  goes 
to  some  outstation  to  preach  on  a  Sunday. 

In  times  of  great  excitement  there  is  sure  to  be  some 
manifestation  of  persons  said  to  be  possessed  with 
demons.     Men  who  are  perfectly  sane  at  other  times  are 


Power  of  Superstition  and  Demonology    119 

suddenly  "  possessed  "  and  act,  it  is  said,  as  though  they 
were  under  the  power  of  some  one  else.  In  the  Kityang 
District  the  pagans  call  such  persons  "  Tang  ki,"  i.  e.^ 
"  medium."  They  are  greatly  feared  and  their  com- 
mands are  always  obeyed,  even  though  they  cause  great 
inconvenience.  In  a  town  called  Kau  Nam,  with  over 
5,000  inhabitants,  during  a  period  of  intense  excitement 
a  "  medium  "  came  forth  from  a  temple  and  claimed  to 
have  received  a  message  from  the  idols.  After  undergo- 
ing several  feats  of  self-torture  in  order  to  insure  belief, 
he  gave  his  message  to  the  people  of  the  town.  It  con- 
sisted in  a  denunciation  of  the  plan  of  construction  of  the 
whole  village.  The  approach  to  the  village  was  wrong 
and  invited  the  evil  spirits  to  enter  instead  of  warding 
them  off.  The  house  fronts  had  to  be  changed  to  the 
opposite  side.  All  the  doors  and  windows  on  the  front 
had  to  be  closed  with  masonry.  Within  a  few  days  after 
this  message  had  been  delivered  denouncing  the  "  fung 
shui "  of  the  town  the  entire  population  was  busy  reno- 
vating their  houses.  The  former  doors  and  windows 
were  closed  up  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  houses  the 
walls  were  broken  through  to  make  new  openings.  The 
main  road  to  the  town  was  changed,  as  were  also  many 
of  the  streets  and  alleys.     Nobody  dared  to  protest. 

A  short  time  ago  the  Christians  in  a  village  of  Thng 
Khe  Ui  were  threatened  with  dire  persecutions  if  they 
did  not  recant  and  take  upon  themselves  again  the  duties 
and  expenses  of  ancestor  worship,  with  the  concomitant 
feasts  and  theatres.  They  were  given  a  certain  time  dur- 
ing which  they  were  to  make  up  their  minds,  after  which 
speedy  punishment  would  follow  if  they  failed  to  respond 
to  the  demands  of  the  entire  village.  The  district 
magistrate  was  notified  of  the  threatened  attack  upon  the 


llo      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Christians,  but  he  refused  to  treat  the  matter  in  a  serious 
manner.  The  time  for  the  feast  in  connection  with  their 
ancestor  worship  was  fast  approaching.  It  was  to  last 
two  days  and  a  large  theatrical  exhibition  had  been 
arranged  for  the  occasion.  The  Christians  were  given 
until  the  end  of  the  first  day  of  the  feast  to  consider  ;  if 
they  still  refused  to  do  their  duties  they  were  to  be  pun- 
ished ere  the  feast  came  to  a  close.  It  happened,  how- 
ever, that  during  the  evening  of  the  first  day  of  the  feast 
a  man  recognized  as  a  leading  medium  in  that  district 
came  out  of  the  temple  crying  at  the  top  of  his  voice 
that  the  gods  had  given  him  a  message.  The  entire  vil- 
lage came  together  at  once  and  many  feared  that  some 
great  woe  might  be  uttered  against  them.  Sometimes  on 
such  occasions  a  medium  will  demand  that  the  town 
make  arrangements  for  a  fair  in  connection  with  which 
there  are  to  be  donations  of  valuables  according  to  the 
commands  of  the  medium.  These  valuables  are  then 
given  away  to  the  people.  Such  occasions  are  very  ex- 
pensive affairs  to  any  place,  and  a  village  is  in  constant 
dread  of  having  such  a  burden  placed  upon  them.  In 
this  instance,  however,  the  people  were  astonished  to 
hear  the  medium  warn  the  entire  village  from  participat- 
ing in  the  proposed  attack  upon  the  Christians  !  They 
were,  said  he,  the  people  of  a  mighty  God  and  he  who 
did  them  an  injury  at  this  time  would  cause  disaster  to 
come  upon  the  entire  village.  We  need  not  be  surprised 
to  learn  that  the  Christians  were  not  only  allowed  to 
worship  according  to  their  own  convictions,  but  that  they 
were  never  troubled  after  that  to  contribute  anything  to- 
wards the  expense  connected  with  the  worship  of 
ancestors. 

The  Christian  Chinese  tell  an   incident   to   prove  the 


Power  of  Superstition  and  Demonology    121 

power  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  over  the  power  of  the  evil 
spirits.  There  were  two  brothers  who  hved  together  in 
a  village.  The  younger  became  a  Christian,  much  to  the 
displeasure  of  his  elder  brother.  Everybody  in  the  village 
was  opposed  to  the  young  man's  remaining  a  Christian. 
Every  art  of  moral  suasion  was  used  to  get  him  to  recant 
and  return  to  his  filial  duties  of  ancestor  worship.  Having 
failed  in  this  it  seemed  to  the  intolerant  villagers  that 
nothing  but  a  severe  beating  could  bring  him  to  his 
senses.  At  the  time  of  a  feast  a  medium  called  the 
village  together  and  said  that  he  had  received  a  message 
to  deal  with  the  Christian  dog  who  so  shamefully 
neglected  his  ancestors.  A  mob  of  several  scores  of  men 
accompanied  the  man  supposed  to  be  possessed  to  the 
house  of  the  two  brothers.  The  elder  had  received  word 
of  the  proposed  attack  upon  his  younger  brother  and 
hastened  once  more  to  try  to  persuade  him  to  recant  and 
thus  to  save  his  life.  The  Christian,  however,  could  not 
be  moved ;  in  fact  he  even  continued  to  eat  his  rice  at  the 
doorstep  and  was  thus  confronted  by  the  mob.  The 
"  possessed  "  uttered  words  of  reproach,  but  was  inter- 
rupted by  the  Christian,  who  full  of  spiritual  earnestness 
cried  out,  pointing  his  chop-sticks  at  him, "  How  long,  O 
vile  spirit,  will  you  continue  to  trouble  all  men.  In  the 
name  of  Christ  Jesus  I  charge  you  not  to  trouble  me  any 
more  !  "  Hardly  were  these  words  pronounced  when  the 
"  possessed "  fell  on  his  face  to  the  ground  before  the 
Christian  and  lay  there  for  some  time  unable  to  move. 
The  mob  became  panic  stricken  and  cried  out, "  The  god 
of  the  Christians  is  mightier  than  our  gods  ;  it  is  no  use 
interfering  in  this  matter ! "  Every  man  departed  at 
once,  leaving  the  "  medium  "  to  his  fate.  The  Christian 
picked    him    up  and  preached  the  gospel  to  him  and 


122      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

exhorted  him  to  forsake  the  work  and  deeds  of  the  evil 
one. 

However  we  foreigners  may  explain  this  so-called 
demoniacal  possession,  one  thing  is  certain.  The 
Chinese,  both  heathen  and  Christian,  believe  that  they 
are  truly  such ;  but  with  this  difference,  that  while  the 
heathen  are  in  abject  fear  of  these  supposed  "  possessed  " 
people  the  Christians  have  no  fear  of  them  whatever. 
They  have  been  made  free  from  the  captivity  of  such 
things  and  their  very  boldness  and  fearlessness  may  be 
just  the  factor,  for  all  I  know,  which  gives  them  the 
victory  over  these  absurd  superstitions. 


VI 

HOW  THE    CHINESE    ARE    BROUGHT    INTO  THE 
KINGDOM 

In  the  last  chapter  certain  characteristics  of  the  Chinese 
in  his  own  country  and  home  were  described.  It  is  pro- 
posed in  this  chapter  to  show  the  difficulties  and  struggles 
he  undergoes  ere  he  is  able  to  become  a  Christian.  The 
true  Christian  adherent  entertains,  with  no  light  heart,  the 
proposition  of  becoming  a  follower  of  Christ,  nor  does  he 
expect  to  escape  a  certain  amount  of  persecution  and 
enmity  on  the  part  of  his  former  friends.  The  very  fact 
of  contemplating  the  Christian  life  brings  him  face  to  face 
with  tremendous  forces,  all  essentially  heathen,  which 
make  it  exceedingly  difficult  for  him  to  cut  loose  from 
the  traditions  and  customs  of  his  whole  life. 

Counting  the  Cost 
At  the  very  beginning  of  becoming  interested  the 
Chinese  seeker  for  truth  will  be  compelled  to  count  the 
cost  of  becoming  a  follower  of  the  Christ.  He  is  aware 
of  great  obstacles  confronting  him  in  every  sphere  of  life. 
Confucianism,  the  great  obstacle  in  the  path  of  a  Christian 
triumph  in  China,  has  permeated  the  religious,  social, 
political  and  moral  life  of  the  people  to  such  an  extent 
that  at  times  the  new  adherent  almost  despairs  of  holding 
out  to  the  end.  Let  us  consider  his  difficulties  in  the 
religious  realm.  The  adherent  knows  that  by  becoming 
a  Christian  he  can  no  longer  have  any  connection  with 
the  worship  of  his  ancestors.  But  from  earliest  childhood 
this  very  worship  was  the  only  motive  that  called  out  the 

123 


124      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

best  in  his  life.  The  most  cherished  and  most  tender 
experiences  of  his  circumscribed  life  have  been  inter- 
woven with  ancestor  worship.  He  well  remembers  how 
as  a  small  boy  his  grandfather  or  his  father  took  him  by 
the  hand  and  led  him — yes,  at  times,  carried  him — to  the 
grave  of  the  great  ancestor  of  the  clan.  He  recalls  how 
in  his  youth,  with  perhaps  several  hundreds  of  his  fellow 
companions,  he  made  a  yearly  pilgrimage  to  the  grave 
and  enjoyed  the  novelty  of  helping  prepare  the  food  to  be 
offered  as  a  sacrifice  and  then  eaten  by  the  great  crowd 
of  kinsmen.  There  around  the  grave  of  their  common 
ancestor  he  remembers  the  elders  discussing  the  welfare 
of  the  clan.  He,  like  every  one  else  of  the  thousands  of 
descendants,  looked  to  that  sacred  grave  as  the  source  of 
all  earthly  prosperity.  He  now  realizes  that  as  a  Chris- 
tian this  fellowship  with  his  own  flesh  and  blood  will  have 
to  cease.  The  glory  of  the  hall  of  ancestors  has  faded 
for  him  and  he  looks  upon  the  worship  within  with 
revulsion  that  almost  startles  him,  for  he  remembers  how 
but  a  few  months  ago  he  felt  himself  drawn  towards  that 
place  above  every  other,  with  a  spirit  of  true  devotion. 
Now  he  as  a  Christian  will  not  only  neglect  the  altar  of 
sacrifices  to  the  manes  of  his  ancestors,  but  his  whole 
attitude  of  life  will  be — must  be — in  direct  contrast  and 
opposition  to  his  former  habits  of  life. 

In  the  social  sphere  of  life  he  is  aware  also  that  there 
are  many  customs  which  he  has  observed  from  earliest 
childhood  which  he  must  now  renounce.  The  theatres, 
the  village  holidays  in  honour  of  the  ancestors  and  idols, 
the  feasts  connected  with  idolatry,  are  now  as  obnoxious 
to  him  as  they  once  were  the  delight  of  his  life.  A 
scholar  who  had  obtained  his  first  degree  was  on  the 
point  of  asking  to  be  received  for  Christian  baptism,  but 


The  Chinese  Brought  Into  the  Kingdom     125 

when  he  counted  the  cost  of  losing  some  twenty  or  more 
feasts  to  which  he  as  a  member  representing  his  branch 
of  a  powerful  clan  was  entitled  every  twelve  months,  he 
felt  that  the  cost  was  too  great  and  surrendered  his  higher 
nature  to  the  passion  of  appetite. 

There  is  a  pecuniary  loss  involved  for  the  man  who 
becomes  a  Christian.     In  our  part  of  China  the  towns 
and  villages  have  certain  public  lands  known  as  the  estate 
of  the  ancestors.     This  property  is  under  the  control  of 
the  clan  and  is  leased  for  a  certain  price  to  the  peasants 
of  the  clan.     The  income,  which  sometimes  is  quite  large, 
is  used  in  part  to  keep  the  grave  of  the  ancestor  in  repair 
and  the  rest  is  divided  among  the  famihes  constitutmg 
the  entire  clan.     Almost  every  family  count  upon  this 
money  which  they  inherit  every  year,  and  in  some  cases 
it  forms  a  good  percentage  of  their  yearly  income.     The 
fact  that  the  Christian  refuses  to  worship  the  tablet  of  the 
ancestor  or  to  offer  sacrifices  at  the  grave  of  the  common 
ancestor  constitutes  in  the  minds  of  the  people  sufficient 
cause  to  confiscate  his  share  and  to  use  it  for  some  pur- 
pose connected  with  idolatry.     There  have  been  instances 
where  the  portion  thus  lost  has  been  quite  large  and  the 
loss  was  keenly  felt.    But  the  estrangement  of  old  friends  is 
even  of  greater  consequences.     Imagine  a  man  having 
enjoyed  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellows  and  kins- 
men, suddenly  by  one  act  of  moral  rectitude,  as  he  knows 
it  is.' despised  by  every  one  in  the  whole  village.     This  is 
perhaps  the  hardest  thing  to  bear,  for  the  Chinese  per- 
haps more  than  any  other  race  desires  and  craves  the 
esteem  and  respect  of  his  fellows.     To  lose  that  is  almost 
as  bad  as  to  die.     As  the  adherent  counts  the  cost  of  his 
becoming  a  Christian  and  remembers  that  he  will  be  con- 
sidered a  dog  for  not  worshipping  the  ancestors,  it  comes 


126      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

to  a  supreme  test  whether  his  love  to  Christ  Jesus  is  deep 
and  real  enough  to  lead  him  to  take  upon  himself  the 
cross  and  follow  his  Master.  Few  of  us  in  a  Christian 
land  really  understand  what  it  means  to  the  average 
Chinese  when  he  decides  to  become  a  Christian.  We 
speak  of  the  heroism  of  foreign  missionaries  and  say 
many  beautiful  things  about  their  devotion,  but  we  ought 
to  remember  the  real  heroes,  those  brave  native  Chris- 
tian men  and  women,  who,  counting  the  cost,  are  wiUing 
to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  battle  even  though  they  pay  the 
price  with  their  lives. 

Then  again,  there  are  political  obstacles  that  make  it 
difficult  for  the  Chinese  to  become  a  Christian.  To  ac- 
cept the  religion  of  the  foreigner  carries  with  it  the  idea 
of  drifting  away  from  things  purely  Chinese  and  opening 
the  flood  gates  for  things  foreign  and  harmful  to  the 
welfare  of  the  nation  as  a  whole.  It  is  considered  unpa- 
triotic to  accept  any  teaching  from  an  outsider.  China, 
the  home  of  the  illustrious  Confucius,  has  no  need  of  any 
other  master.  Then  again,  it  is  a  most  unfortunate 
thing  that  the  crimes  committed  by  European  nations 
against  China,  and  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  are 
thrown  together.  By  embracing  the  religion  of  Christ, 
the  Chinese  convert  is  condemned  by  millions  of  his 
countrymen  as  failing  to  consider  the  just  cause  of  his 
country  against  the  Europeans.  He  in  fact  has  become 
an  enemy  to  his  own  people,  a  traitor  to  his  country.  In 
counting  the  cost  of  becoming  a  Christian  the  inquirer 
will  not  delude  himself  with  the  thought  that  his  decision 
will  be  looked  upon  as  an  act  for  the  welfare  of  his  fellow 
men  and  his  country. 

The  moral  test  of  the  Chinese  among  themselves  is  the 
relation  which  each  individual  sustains  towards  the  wor- 


The  Chinese  Brought  Into  the  Kingdom     127 

ship  of  ancestors.  Failing  to  comply  with  this  moral  and 
religious  requirement  the  man  is  considered  a  worthless 
fellow,  an  outcast,  one  who  does  not  deserve  any  consider- 
ation. His  sincerity  of  motive  will  be  questioned,  he  will 
be  misunderstood  and  despised.  Men  will  debate  about 
the  possible  advantage  and  profit  he  expects  to  make  out 
of  the  treasonable  act.  Old  friends  who  knew  him  from 
childhood  may  give  him  the  credit  of  not  seeking  selfish 
ends,  but  they  all  the  more  expect  to  see  disaster  over- 
come him  and  his  family.  They  take  it  for  granted  that 
evil  demons  have  decided  to  destroy  him  and  that  the 
beginning  of  his  ruin  was  when  he  decided  to  forsake 
the  worship  of  his  ancestors.  He  has  neglected  the  rudi- 
ments of  fiHal  piety  and  that  is  always  the  beginning  of  a 
man's  destruction.  He  must  be  left  severely  alone.  We 
can  imagine  the  consternation  it  causes  when  a  man  of 
considerable  influence  and  importance  in  a  town  decides 
to  become  a  Christian,  as  is  often  the  case  in  these  days 
of  transformation.  A  large  circle  of  friends  put  forth 
every  effort  to  draw  him  away  from  his  strange  infatuation 
for  the  "  foreign  doctrine."  He  is  reminded  of  all  the 
dreadful  consequences  that  will  surely  follow  and  hints 
are  made  that  men  will  attempt  to  take  his  life. 

On  the  other  hand  we  have  said  but  little  of  the  deep 
impression  which  the  simple  story  of  the  gospel  makes 
upon  the  enlightened  soul  of  the  Chinese.  It  would  take 
hours  to  give  an  adequate  and  just  description  of  the  re- 
ligious and  moral  regeneration  the  word  of  God  has  upon 
the  Chinese.  His  whole  training  from  childhood  has 
been  a  moral  one.  The  grand  moral  truths  of  the  Ten 
Commandments,  the  spiritual  and  moral  laws  of  the  king- 
dom enunciated  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  take  com- 
plete possession  of  him.     The  simple  story  of  the  creation 


128      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

of  the  world  never  leaves  the  Chinese  pagan  mind  in  the 
same  benighted  condition ;  if  he  has  taken  an  intelligent 
grasp  of  the  truth,  he  is  never  the  same  man  after  that. 
The  New  Testament  stories  concerning  Jesus  Christ  suf- 
fering for  the  whole  human  race  do  not  present  any  dif- 
ficulties. They  accept  them  readily  because  they  are  all 
in  perfect  harmony  with  facts  in  their  own  lives.  The 
attraction  of  the  cross  of  Christ  is  as  strong  in  China  as 
in  any  other  part  of  the  globe.  And  so,  in  spite  of  all 
the  religious,  social,  political  and  moral  difficulties,  the 
great  soul  conflict  goes  on  within  the  adherent.  He  per- 
sists in  attending  the  Christian  services  in  spite  of  warn- 
ings of  friends  and  kinsmen.  He  cannot  be  untrue  to  the 
spiritual  claims  of  his  better  nature.  He  has  counted  the 
cost  and  has  made  up  his  mind  to  become  a  follower  of 
the  Saviour  of  the  world.  He  refuses  henceforth  to  take 
part  in  those  things  that  would  demand  serving  two  mas- 
ters, but  while  he  has  decided  thus  to  do  he  has  fortified 
himself  against  the  results  of  his  actions.  He  is  wiUing 
to  pay  the  price  of  his  actions. 

Paying  the  Price 

Instead  of  describing  certain  possible  methods  used  by 
the  Chinese  pagans  to  compel  a  Christian  to  recant  and 
take  up  once  more  the  duties  of  filial  piety,  we  will  speak 
of  a  few  concrete  illustrations  of  persecutions. 

The  persecution  and  death  of  an  individual  Christian 
will  be  best  illustrated  by  the  sufferings  of  A  Nam,  a 
barber,  Hving  in  the  city  of  Kityang.  He  was  a  young 
man  of  about  twenty-four  years  when  he  came  the  first 
time  to  hear  the  gospel.  He  had  a  prosperous  shop 
close  to  the  west  gate  within  the  city  walls.  He  was 
most  thoroughly  converted  to  the  Christian  faith  and  his 


The  Chinese  Brought  Into  the  Kingdom     129 

devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  city  from  the  very 
beginning  was  an  evidence  of  his  deep  sincerity.  He  de- 
cided from  the  first  day  of  his  conversion  to  close  his 
shop  on  Sundays  and  to  refuse  to  have  any  connection 
with  the  idolatry  of  the  barbers'  guild.  The  guild,  how- 
ever, took  up  the  challenge  and  gave  A  Nam  notice  that 
he  would  not  be  allowed  to  continue  his  business  nor  to 
live  except  he  conformed  to  their  strict  requirements. 
Shortly  after  this  they  had  their  annual  feast  in  honour 
of  their  god.  Each  barber  was  taxed  a  certain  amount, 
A  Nam  with  the  others.  A  Nam  refused  to  pay,  claim- 
ing that  he  gave  his  contributions  to  the  Christian  con- 
gregation and  that  religious  toleration  had  been  granted 
by  the  emperor.  The  night  after  the  feast  he  was  at- 
tacked by  hired  thugs  and  beaten  into  insensibility.  It 
was  found  that  one  of  his  lungs  was  injured  and  he  went 
into  quick  consumption  and  died  a  few  months  later.  As 
the  end  approached  he  was  triumphant  in  faith.  Never 
shall  I  forget  the  expression  of  his  face  when  he  attended 
the  chapel  services  the  last  time.  "  They  have  injured 
my  body,"  said  he,  "  but  they  have  moved  me  closer  to 
my  Lord  and  Saviour."  He  bore  them  no  malice,  and 
no  attempt  was  made  to  get  revenge.  He  was  the  first 
martyr  of  the  work  at  Kityang  and  his  true  Christian 
character,  his  spiritual  hold  on  the  realities  of  the  faith, 
became  the  type  of  Christian  manhood  in  our  mission. 
A  Nam  has  now  been  dead  over  eight  years,  but  his  in- 
fluence is  still  felt  in  the  lives  of  many. 

How  Families  Enter  Into  the  Kingdom 

About  twenty-eight  miles  southwest  of  Kityang  city 
on  the  southern  branch  of  the  Kityang  River  lives  a 
clan   of  about    5,000  people  with  the  surname  of  Lai. 


130      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

The  territory  they  inhabit  is  called  Chiang  Mui  compris- 
ing in  all  about  eight  villages.  The  rice-fields  of  this 
district  are  very  productive,  owing  to  the  numerous 
streams  which  flow  from  the  hills  even  in  times  of 
drought.  The  people  have  planted  thousands  of  olive 
trees  on  the  low  hills,  from  which  they  derive  no  small 
profit.  In  spite  of  these  favouring  conditions  in  the  sur- 
rounding country  the  people  of  Chiang  Mui  are  poor, 
due  wholly  to  their  devotion  to  idolatry,  sorcery  and 
gambling.  They  delight  in  making  long  pilgrimages  to 
renowned  shrines  and  temples  in  order  to  obtain  prom- 
ises from  a  lying  priest  that  prosperity  will  attend  their 
family  and  earthly  affairs.  The  practical  religion  of  the 
Chinese  does  not  go  much  beyond  material  matters. 

It  was  with  a  good  deal  of  pleasure,  therefore,  that  we 
heard  that  men  from  Chiang  Mui  were  attending  Chris- 
tian services  at  the  Chim  Khe  chapel.  My  joy,  however, 
was  soon  checked  when  I  visited  the  villages  of  Chiang 
Mui  soon  after  and  found  that  these  new  adherents  had  a 
lawsuit  on  hand  with  parties  belonging  to  their  own 
clan.  Fortunately  the  parties  involved  lived  in  separate 
villages.  The  adherents  boldly  asked  that  we  help  them 
in  their  lawsuit  at  the  magistrate's  office  and  were  sorely 
disappointed  when  we  flatly  refused  to  do  anything  of 
the  kind. 

A  few  weeks  later  we  had  occasion  to  enter  the  village 
of  the  enemy  of  our  so-called  adherents.  We  preached 
the  gospel  of  peace  and  good  will  to  them  the  same  as 
we  did  everywhere  else.  The  people  were  delighted  to 
know  that  we  refused  to  take  sides  in  their  local  quarrels 
and  asked  whether  they  would  be  permitted  to  hear  the 
gospel  at  the  Chim  Khe  chapel.  We  saw  nothmg  to 
prevent  them  and  we  harboured  the  hope  that  perhaps 


The  Chinese  Brought  Into  the  Kingdom     131 

we  might  be  able  to  unite  both  factions  into  harmony. 
The  first  to  come  was  Lai  A  Ki  and  his  younger  brother. 
The  so-called  adherents,  who  had  been  making  but  little 
progress  in  Christian  truth  and  walk,  were  offended  when 
they  saw  that  we  were  willing  to  allow  some  from  among 
their  enemies  to  come  and  worship  at  the  same  chapel. 
Some  maintained  that  if  we  permitted  them  to  come  they 
would  quit  coming.  We  tried  to  teach  them  the  true 
purpose  of  our  mission,  but  many  were  obstinate  and  we 
were  compelled  to  tell  them  plainly  that  they  were  prov- 
ing themselves  unworthy  of  the  gospel  blessings.  The 
great  living  God  was  not  hke  their  idols,  but  was  a  God  of 
love  and  peace  and  men  who  desired  to  worship  Him  must 
be  willing  to  put  aside  all  hatred  and  strife  and  be  ready  for 
reconciliation.  The  Chinese  preachers  were  able  to 
bring  about  a  reconciliation  between  a  number,  but  some 
were  disappointed  and  refused  to  come  after  this.  The 
troubles,  however,  were  peaceably  settled  through  the 
help  of  our  Christian  co-workers. 

Lai  A  Ki  was  so  pleased  with  what  he  saw  and  heard 
that  he  brought  his  mother  and  wife  to  the  meetings. 
He  also  persuaded  a  number  of  friends  and  kinsmen  to 
become  Christians.  Within  a  year  the  number  of  ad- 
herents increased  so  that  all  the  adults  of  six  or  more 
families  came  to  the  meetings  at  Chim  Khe  regularly. 
To  do  so  they  were  obliged  to  cross  a  river  and  that  is 
something  the  Chinese  do  not  like  to  do.  It  is  not  only 
often  troublesome,  but  the  river  is  a  boundary  line,  and 
to  the  average  villager  it  seems  as  though  he  were  in- 
vading a  strange  territory  if  he  crosses  a  boundary.  It 
was  largely  due  to  this  fact  that  the  adherents  of  Chiang 
Mui,  including  both  parties  now  united,  asked  us  to  open 
a  "  place  of  prayer "  in  their  own  territory,  so  that  the 


132      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

women  could  attend  the  services  more  regularly  and 
thus  get  a  better  knowledge  of  the  gospel.  The  plan 
was  carried  out,  a  suitable  house  was  obtained  for  a  house 
of  prayer  and  the  preacher  stationed  at  Chim  Khe  visited 
the  place  twice  a  week.  The  number  of  inquirers  in- 
creased and  we  found  it  necessary  to  establish  Sunday 
services  there  soon  after.  The  gospel  truth  had  full 
sway  over  many  families  at  Chiang  Mui.  A  Ki  was  the 
first  to  be  baptized  and  quite  a  large  number  followed 
the  year  after.  In  the  spring  of  1900,  just  when  the 
Boxers  were  preparing  to  exterminate  the  foreigners  and 
native  Christians,  nearly  all  the  adherents  coming  to  wor- 
ship at  the  Chiang  Mui  chapel  decided  to  cast  out  every 
trace  of  idolatry  from  their  homes.  Some  of  the  women, 
like  Rachel  of  old,  still  clung  to  an  idol ;  others  had  tried 
to  worship  both  the  idols  and  the  Hving  God,  but  had 
found  it  impossible.  They  now  of  one  accord  decided 
that  they  would  clean  themselves  from  every  contami- 
nation of  idolatry.  They  startled  the  villages  by  burn- 
ing their  idols  and  destroying  the  paraphernalia  for 
idolatrous  rites,  and  a  large  number  of  books  relating  to 
geomancy  and  superstition  were  destroyed  in  the  sight 
of  all  the  people.  The  village  elders  were  angry  because 
the  Christian  converts  had  refused  to  pay  their  usual 
share  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  annual  idol  proces- 
sion and  the  festivities  connected  with  it.  The  Chris- 
tians maintained  that  the  Chinese  Government  had 
granted  religious  toleration  and  that  it  was  forbidden 
to  compel  Christians  to  pay  towards  the  maintenance  of 
idolatry  and  ancestor  worship.  At  first  the  most  in- 
fluential men  of  Chiang  Mui  tried  to  dissuade  them  from 
such  a  radical  position,  but  seeing  that  they  were  deter- 
mined  they  decided   to  allow  them  to  enjoy  religious 


The  Chinese  Brought  Into  the  Kingdom     133 

liberty.  This  was  not  so,  however,  with  the  common 
people.  They  would  allow  no  toleration  nor  suffer  the 
Christians  to  live  in  their  territory  unless  they  conformed 
to  the  rules  governing  ancestor  worship.  A  plan  was 
adopted  according  to  which  the  Christians  were  to  be 
taken  in  hand  and  severely  dealt  with.  Life  was  to  be 
made  burdensome  to  them  until  they  returned  to  their 
old  ways.  Their  crops  were  totally  destroyed  by  night 
and  no  traces  could  be  found  of  those  who  had  done  the 
wrong.  Strong  young  men  provoked  the  Christians  and 
sought  to  pick  a  quarrel  with  them,  and  when  they  re- 
fused to  fight  would  heap  all  sorts  of  indignities  upon 
them.  Still  they  remained  firm.  Then  came  the  crisis. 
During  the  closing  days  of  1900  a  large  number  of  men 
united  and  made  a  raid  upon  all  the  homes  of  the  Chris- 
tians. They  were  beaten  and  driven  out  of  the  villages 
and  their  houses  plundered.  Lai  A  Ki  was  taken  pris- 
oner, tied  by  hands  and  feet,  thrown  into  a  deep  vat  and 
locked  up  in  an  empty  house.  Some  came  to  us  to  tell 
of  their  misfortunes,  and  they  were  a  pitiable  sight  to 
behold.  No  one  knew  at  that  time  of  the  whereabouts 
of  Lai  A  Ki.  His  wife  and  mother  knew  that  he  had 
been  captured,  bound  and  carried  away.  It  was  sus- 
pected that  he  had  been  murdered.  The  magistrate  who 
had  jurisdiction  over  the  district  was  notified,  but  a  big 
struggle  between  many  clans  and  villages  was  raging 
throughout  the  entire  territory  ;  furthermore,  the  under- 
lings of  the  magistrate  did  not  dare  venture  to  go  to 
Chiang  Mui  lest  bodily  harm  might  come  to  them. 
There  were  many  men  killed  daily  in  these  clan  fights 
and  the  loss  of  a  single  Christian  seemed  of  little  conse- 
quence to  the  magistrate  and  the  yamen  officials  at  that 
time. 


134      1^^  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Lai  A  Ki  lay  bound  in  the  vat  for  two  days  without 
any  nourishment  but  he  never  gave  up  hope.  He  finally 
was  able  to  get  one  hand  loose  and  within  a  short  time  he 
was  out  of  the  vat.  Finding  the  house  locked  he  got  out 
through  the  roof  and  made  good  his  escape  from  the 
village  at  once.  He  came  to  us  at  Kityang  and  we  now 
had  the  problem  how  to  get  the  Christians  back  into 
their  homes.  The  heathen  neighbours  refused  to  allow 
them  to  enter  the  village  unless  they  promised  to  comply 
with  the  customs  of  worshipping  the  ancestors  and  to 
pay  their  quota  of  all  expenses  connected  with  the 
temples  and  festivities  of  idolatry.  The  Christians  said 
they  would  rather  die  than  do  so.  The  magistrate  said 
he  could  do  nothing  owing  to  the  many  clan  fights  in  his 
district. 

There  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  report  the  whole  mat- 
ter to  the  American  consul  at  Canton,  who  at  once 
notified  the  viceroy  of  the  outrage.  The  viceroy  tele- 
graphed the  magistrate  to  protect  the  Christians  accord- 
ing to  the  treaty  stipulations  made  between  China  and 
the  Christian  nations,  warning  him  that  any  failure  on 
his  part  would  result  in  a  censure.  The  clan  fights  were 
still  in  progress  when  the  magistrate  received  this  in- 
struction from  his  superior  official,  but  now  he  was  able 
somehow  to  take  cognizance  of  the  affair.  He  asked  me 
to  come  to  see  him  about  the  matter  and  in  our  con- 
ference it  was  decided  that  a  Confucian  scholar  be  sent 
into  Chiang  Mui  to  investigate  and  try  to  get  at  the  real 
cause  of  the  difficulties  and  if  possible  to  settle  the  matter. 
The  investigation  showed  that  the  Christians  were  mo- 
lested contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  country.  Every  charge 
made  by  them  was  sustained.  The  magistrate  then 
asked  the  Christians  to  make  out  a  list  of  their  losses  in 


The  Chinese  Brought  Into  the  Kingdom     135 

order  to  reimburse  them.  The  total  amount  claimed  by 
six  families  was  only  ;^203,  and  the  magistrate  was  im- 
pressed by  the  moderation  of  their  demands.  The  sum 
was  paid  and  divided  among  the  parties  who  suffered 
damages.  Otherwise  no  punishment  was  inflicted  upon 
the  evil  doers.  It  was  agreed  at  that  time  that  in  matters 
of  religion  each  person  at  Chiang  Mui  could  thereafter 
follow  his  own  way  of  worshipping  without  being  mo- 
lested by  his  neighbour.  The  struggle  for  religious  tol- 
eration in  that  district  was  won  for  the  time  being.  The 
method  of  settlement  of  the  whole  case  and  the  moderate 
demands  of  the  Christians  became  known  throughout 
the  entire  district  and  received  the  commendation  of 
many  of  the  thoughtful  people.  As  a  rule  missionaries 
find  that  the  heathen  spirit  of  revenge  crops  out  here  and 
there  in  the  Christians.  They  believe  any  other  method 
would  indicate  a  weakness  and  tempt  the  enemy  to  try 
conclusions  later  on,  and  so  simply  from  the  point  of  self- 
protection  utter  destruction  of  the  enemy  must  be  at- 
tained. In  this  instance  fortunately  it  was  not  so.  There 
has  been  no  trouble  in  Chiang  Mui  between  the  pagans 
and  Christians  for  some  years. 

"  He  Who  Endures  to  the  End  " 
Happily  persecutions  have  an  end  even  in  pagan 
China.  The  Chinese  resent  innovation  and  for  a  season 
will  do  their  utmost  to  exterminate  it  root  and  branch, 
but  they  are  not  unable  to  appreciate  moral  excellencies. 
The  Chinese  people  judge  everything  according  to  its 
moral  worth.  The  Christian  is  misunderstood  and  per- 
secuted because  he  refuses  to  observe  those  things  which 
seem  to  the  narrow-minded  pagan  to  differentiate  the 
moral   man   from  brute  creation.     These  things  are  of 


136      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

course  the  rites  connected  with  filial  piety,  which  finds 
its  highest  expression  in  ancestor  worship.  But  all  the 
Christian  needs  is  time  and  opportunity  to  prove  to  his 
kinsmen  and  neighbours  that  Christianity  is  also  essen- 
tially moral  and  that  the  spiritual  morality  of  the  New 
Testament  is  as  far  above  the  crude  Confucian  system  of 
ethics  as  the  heavens  are  above  the  earth.  Given  time 
and  opportunity  he  will  make  a  place  for  himself  among 
his  fellows  and  the  place  will  often  be  far  more  important 
and  influential  than  the  one  he  occupied  when  he  con- 
formed to  the  customs  and  ways  of  the  village  or  town. 
This  is  simply  due  to  the  fact  that  the  Chinese  are  not 
blind  to  the  moral  changes  that  have  been  wrought  in  the 
Christian  convert.  It  is  not  an  unknown  thing  for  the 
people  of  a  town  to  select  a  Christian  to  fill  a  position 
of  honour  and  trust,  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  they  feel 
they  can  trust  the  Christian,  where  they  could  not  trust 
one  another. 

It  has  been  the  experience  of  the  author  that  wherever 
a  preaching  station  is  opened  persecutions  immediately 
follow.  The  first  Christian  in  any  given  town  or  village 
always  has  to  suffer  more  persecution  than  those  who 
embrace  the  faith  later  on.  If  these  first  converts  are 
careful  and  peace-loving,  showing  the  spirit  of  their  Lord 
and  Master,  these  persecutions  cease  within  two  or  three 
years  and  the  disciples  soon  after  succeed  in  making 
their  influence  felt  in  their  village,  for  their  new  moral 
life  and  intelligence  necessarily  distinguish  the  Christians 
from  the  average  ignorant  idolater.  Nor  can  this  differ- 
ence be  stated  too  strongly.  I  have  frequently  had 
occasion  to  tell  the  disciples  on  the  Kityang  field  that  I 
could  pick  out  the  children  of  Christian  parents  from 
among  hundreds  of  children  of  pagan  parents.     There  is 


The  Chinese  Brought  Into  the  Kingdom     137 

something  very  definite  in  the  expression  and  appearance 
of  the  child  brought  up  under  Christian  influence  that 
distinguishes  them  from  other  children. 

During  the  present  period  of  transformation  in  China 
the  Christians  are  not  without  honour  and  influence  in 
certain  enlightened  towns  and  villages,  where  the  signs 
of  the  times  are  understood  and  the  people  are  willing  to 
get  all  the  information  they  can.  In  matters  of  doubt 
regarding  political  conditions  and  international  questions 
the  common  people  always  appeal  to  the  Christians  as  the 
source  of  knowledge  of  the  true  state  of  affairs.  China 
above  every  other  land  is  given  to  idle  rumours,  but  the 
Christian  convert  who  gets  his  information  from  the 
Chinese  pastors  and  preachers  is  known  to  give  an  un- 
biased report  of  what  is  going  on  in  the  world.  The 
fact  that  he  often  is  compelled  to  give  the  lie  to  idle  but 
popular  rumours  makes  him  detested  for  the  time  being, 
but  the  reaction  and  vindication  always  follow. 

Loyalty  to  the  Cause  of  Christ 
The  day  is  past  in  which  the  foreign  missionary  needs 
to  convince  the  world  of  the  sincerity  and  loyalty  of  the 
Chinese  Christian.  The  Boxer  revolt  has  done  the  cause 
of  foreign  missions  a  good  deed  in  reveahng  to  the  world 
the  moral  and  spiritual  fibre  of  the  Chinese  convert.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  describe  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
average  disciple  for  the  Church  of  God.  To  him  it  is  the 
only  organization  that  can  bring  about  the  real  trans- 
formation of  his  country.  His  optimism  as  to  the  ulti- 
mate triumph  is  remarkable.  He  will  lay  down  his  life 
in  its  defense  and  honour. 

At  one  time  the  Chinese  Missionary  Society  in  the 
author's  district  was  in  danger  of  running  into  a  heavy 


138      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

debt  and  some  of  the  directors  of  the  society  were  in 
favour  of  recaUing  a  number  of  evangehsts  from  the 
mission  field  in  the  adjoining  district  in  order  to  prevent 
the  debt.  A  delegate  arose  and  said  that  he  had  been 
able  to  save  $'j^  during  the  past  six  years,  but  he  felt 
that  the  work  which  the  missionary  society  was  doing 
was  so  important  that  the  present  crisis  demanded  that 
he  give  ;^50  of  this  sum  at  once  towards  raising  the 
necessary  money  to  carry  on  the  work  which  the 
evangelists  were  doing  in  Weichow.  When  we  con- 
sider that  that  ;^50  represented  almost  a  half  year's 
salary  we  need  not  be  surprised  that  the  effect  was  such 
over  the  people  that  the  money  was  raised  at  once  to 
carry  on  the  work  for  the  entire  year. 

A  few  years  ago  when  preaching  to  the  people  in 
Haifong  City,  in  the  Weichow  District,  about  one  hundred 
miles  southwest  from  Kityang,  my  attention  was  drawn 
towards  a  young  man  who  showed  great  interest  in  all 
that  was  being  said.  Later  in  a  private  conversation  he 
admitted  that  he  desired  to  learn  more  of  this  truth  and 
asked  that  an  evangelist  be  sent  to  his  house  at  his  own 
expense.  At  first  we  suspected  some  personal  and  selfish 
motive,  but  soon  found  that  this  was  not  so.  An 
evangelist  stayed  at  his  house  for  a  month  and  during 
that  period  the  young  man,  whose  name  was  A  Khoi, 
persuaded  over  thirty  young  men  to  become  adherents 
and  led  them  to  establish  regular  services  of  Christian 
worship.  A  Khoi's  next  step  was  to  buy  a  house,  and 
having  had  it  renovated  gave  it  to  the  missionary  society 
for  a  chapel.  His  zeal  for  the  new  religion  caused  com- 
ment throughout  the  entire  city  and  his  best  friends  were 
sure  that  disaster  would  overtake  him  before  long.  At 
the  time  of  opening  the  new  meeting-house  the  bubonic 


The  Chinese  Brought  Into  the  Kingdom     139 

plague  broke  out  in  that  city  and  the  surrounding  country. 
Some  of  the  people  were  sure  that  it  was  the  result  of 
allowing  the  Christians  to  obtain  such  a  foothold  and  that 
the  spirits  were  now  taking  revenge.  The  astonishment 
grew  all  the  greater  when  it  became  known  that  A  Khoi 
the  zealous  Christian  was  also  stricken  with  the  pestilence. 
It  was  all  too  true.  But  in  his  delirium  he  prayed  to 
Christ  to  save  and  spare  his  life  for  the  work's  sake. 
While  scores  and  hundreds  of  the  people  died  A  Khoi 
was  one  of  the  few  that  recovered.  The  effect  of  this  in- 
cident was  very  favourable  to  the  work  of  the  mission. 
His  entire  family  became  Christians.  They  brought  me 
their  idols,  which  were  coated  with  gold  leaf  and  had 
been  worshipped  in  that  family  for  several  generations. 
Many  of  the  merchant  class  also  became  interested  in  the 
work. 

The  Chinese  people  are  not  so  far  removed  from  the 
entrance  of  the  kingdom  of  God  as  Occidentals  often 
imagine.  If  we  could,  by  any  means,  direct  that  intense 
devotion  rendered  to  the  manes  of  the  ancestors  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  through  Him  lead  them  to  worship 
the  living  God,  China  would  soon  take  her  place  as  one 
of  the  strongest  of  Christian  nations.  But  meanwhile  the 
battle  must  be  fought  against  the  overstatement  of  a 
moral  truth.  The  struggle  will  be  a  severe  one.  No  re- 
ligion has  yet  been  able  to  dislodge  ancestor  worship,  but 
on  the  contrary  had  to  make  provision  for  it  in  its 
system.  Will  the  Christian  Church  of  China  do  the 
same  ?  Present  indications  are  that  she  will  not.  Men 
and  women  are  suffering  a  martyr's  death  rather  than 
have  two  masters.  And  with  every  death  of  one  of 
these  martyrs  the  final  victory  is  made  more  sure. 


II 

THE  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY 
IN  CHINA 


VII.  Essentials  of  a  Successful  Missionary  Career. 

VIII.  The  Political  Status   of  the   Missionary  in 

China. 

IX.  The  Social  Status  of  the  Missionary  in  China. 

X.  The  Family  Life  of  the  Foreign  Missionary 

a  Great  Aid  to  His  Work. 


VII 

ESSENTIALS  OF  A  SUCCESSFUL  MISSIONARY 
CAREER 

The  elements  of  character  essential  to  a  successful 
missionary  career  are  in  many  respects  the  same  as  those 
which  are  necessary  to  a  successful  ministry  of  the  gospel 
in  this  country.  The  stronger  a  man  is  in  spiritual  lead- 
ership the  better  will  he  be  in  any  work  connected  with 
the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  God  the  world  over. 
And  yet  in  a  sense  there  is  a  difference  between  the  min- 
istry of  the  gospel  in  this  country  and  the  work  of  a  for- 
eign missionary.  Some  men  have  failed  utterly  on  the 
foreign  field  and  yet  after  returning  to  their  native  land 
have  accomplished  a  successful  work  as  pastors  and  lead- 
ers in  Christian  activity  among  our  home  churches.  It  is 
difficult  to  lay  down  hard  and  fast  rules  in  determining 
what  are  the  essential  characteristics  of  a  successful  mis- 
sionary career.  In  some  cases  the  best  equipped  men 
and  women  go  to  the  foreign  field  and  yet  in  a  few  years 
return  to  the  home  country.  Some  become  dissatisfied 
with  themselves  and  feel  they  cannot  carry  the  responsi- 
bilities of  the  great  work ;  others  have  to  return  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health.  Every  missionary  about  to  go  to  the 
foreign  field  ought  to  be  warned  against  the  disgusting 
sights  and  shocking  conditions  of  humanity  which  he 
will  find  there.  Some  missionaries  meet  their  Waterloo 
during  the  first  contact  with  heathenism  and  are  never 
able  to  rally  to  the  conflict.  With  others  the  loss  of 
home  comforts  is  quite  unendurable  and  they  become 

143 


144      ^^^  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

seriously  sick  because  of  the  want  of  them.  Happy  the 
person  who  has  not  been  over-educated  nor  has  had  every 
wish  granted  in  Hfe  and  thus  perhaps  spoiled  for  this 
great  work.  Men  and  women  are  needed  for  the  foreign 
field  that  can  put  up  with  Hmited  resources  and  who  have 
the  spirit  of  a  true  soldier.  There  are  many  other  char- 
acteristics necessary  and  we  propose  to  mention  some  of 
them  under  a  threefold  division,  namely,  physical,  men- 
tal and  spiritual  requirements. 

Physical  Requirements  of  a  Foreign  Missionary 
We  begin  with  that  which  is  the  most  natural.  Any 
one  who  is  to  go  to  the  foreign  field  ought  to  be  able  to 
stand  a  medical  examination  as  severe  as  the  United 
States  Government  requires  of  recruits  for  the  army  and 
navy.  Almost  every  missionary  society  has  lost  thou- 
sands of  dollars  in  years  past  in  not  being  strict  enough 
in  this  matter.  It  costs  a  considerable  sum  of  money  to 
equip  a  young  missionary  couple  and  to  send  them  to  the 
other  side  of  the  globe.  The  failure  of  health  of  either 
the  missionary  or  his  wife  is  a  dead  loss  of  sacred  money. 
Furthermore,  a  constitutional  weakness  in  any  person  is 
likely  to  be  exaggerated  in  the  climate  of  Asia.  A  sick 
person  cannot  learn  a  new  language  very  readily  nor  can 
he  make  proper  use  of  it  even  though  acquired.  We 
need  to  remember  the  old  maxim  "  Mens  sana  in  corpore 
sano!'  There  can  only  be  a  healthy  mind  when  the 
physical  body  is  sound  and  well.  One  of  the  first  signs 
of  ill  health  of  a  missionary  on  the  foreign  field  is  the  ex- 
hibition of  worry  and  ill  temper.  And  sad  to  say  this 
ill  temper  is  usually  directed  against  the  natives,  the  very 
ones  who  ought  to  be  protected.  I  have  heard  of  cases 
where  the  very  sight  of  a  native  would  make  the  mission- 


Essentials  of  a  Successful  Missionary  Career    145 

ary  quite  ill  tempered.  It  is  not  necessary  to  add  that 
such  a  person  should  be  sent  to  America  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. The  Chinese  delight,  as  does  every  other  race,  in 
the  sight  of  a  healthy  person.  The  Christian  Chinese 
rejoice  in  a  missionary  who  not  only  can  do  a  day's  work 
in  walking  and  preaching  equal  to  the  strength  of  the 
Chinese  preachers  and  evangelists  but  is  still  able  to  work 
and  preach  the  gospel  when  he  is  tired,  and  they  are  rest- 
ing. His  native  co-workers  will  always  respect  such  a 
missionary  as  a  leader  and  will  gladly  work  with  him  to 
the  utmost  of  strength  and  resources.  Naturally  a  mis- 
sionary will  respect  the  limit  of  their  abilities,  and  yet  I 
have  often  travelled  from  twenty  to  thirty  miles  a  day 
preaching  here  and  there  accompanied  by  a  number  of 
co-workers  and  as  I  look  back  it  seems  to  me  that  those 
very  strenuous  trips,  doing  pioneer  work,  were  after  all 
the  happiest  of  my  experiences  on  the  foreign  field  and 
the  native  co-workers  would  say  the  same.  We  had  a 
royal  time  walking  overland  from  Kityang  to  Canton 
several  years  ago  and  though  we  were  thirty  days  mak- 
ing this  trip  from  village  to  village  yet  the  men  who  went 
with  me  frequently  spoke  about  the  good  time  they  had. 
A  missionary  must  be  able  to  do  a  hard  day's  work  and 
yet  be  bright  and  fresh  the  next  morning,  ready  and  de- 
sirous to  continue  his  work. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  mention  anything  about  the 
importance  of  correct  habits  in  eating,  drinking,  sleeping 
and  so  forth.  These  things  have  much  to  do  with  one's 
health  on  the  foreign  field.  If  one  is  careless  in  any  of 
these  things  it  will  be  absolutely  necessary  for  one  to 
correct  oneself  in  this  respect.  Missionaries  owe  it  to 
themselves,  to  the  churches  which  have  sent  them  to  the 
foreign  field  and  to  God  to  seek  to  render  the  best  serv- 


146      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

ice  of  which  they  are  capable ;  and  they  can  do  this  only 
in  so  far  as  they  watch  over  the  health  of  the  body,  the 
temple  of  God. 

Mental  Requirements  of  the  Foreign  Missionary 
It  would  be  a  mistake  if  our  foreign  missionaries  were 
selected  by  the  authorities  of  our  missionary  societies 
only  because  of  their  mental  abilities.  But  mentality 
does  constitute  one  of  the  foremost  tests  as  to  the  candi- 
date's ability  to  learn  the  language  and  to  understand  the 
manifold  problems  connected  with  foreign  missionary 
work.  The  Chinese  people  are  a  race  with  strong  men- 
tal power  and  it  goes  without  saying  that  a  man  who 
would  perhaps  not  be  able  to  understand  the  working  of 
the  Chinese  mind  ought  not  to  be  sent  to  a  country  like 
China.  The  foreign  missionary  must  be  a  man  to  whom 
the  Chinese  preachers  and  evangelists  can  confidently 
look  for  that  instruction  and  guidance  that  shall  insure  a 
constant  progress  of  development  and  growth  in  their 
Christian  work.  When  this  is  not  the  case  there  will  be 
lacking  a  singleness  of  purpose  in  the  entire  work  of  the 
station  and  mutual  disappointment  will  be  the  result. 
The  influence  of  such  a  weak  man  is  not  limited  to  his 
own  station  either.  In  China  at  the  present  time  there 
often  arise  problems  and  abnormal  conditions  which  may, 
if  the  missionary  fails  to  grasp  the  real  and  true  condition 
of  things,  not  only  result  in  disaster  to  his  own  work,  but 
affect  the  work  in  the  fields  of  other  missionaries.  A  dis- 
aster happened  in  China  but  a  few  months  ago  which  will 
illustrate  this  very  point.  Certain  Roman  Catholic  mis- 
sionaries at  Nanchang,  a  city  in  the  Yangste  valley, 
pressed  a  case  of  litigation  with  such  vigour  and  prejudice 
(as  it  seemed  to  the  Chinese  official  who  was  to  try  the 


Essentials  of  a  Successful  Missionary  Career    147 

case)  that  he  flatly  refused  to  meet  their  demands.  For 
this  the  magistrate  was  threatened  with  being  reported  to 
his  superiors  through  the  French  consulate,  which  might 
have  resulted  in  a  rebuke  from  the  viceroy  for  not  set- 
tling the  case  ere  it  became  an  international  affair.  Still 
the  magistrate  felt  that  he  could  not  conform  to  the  un- 
just demands  of  the  priests  and  retain  the  respect  of  his 
subjects.  As  the  French  missionaries  refused  to  take  a 
moderate  view  of  the  case  it  seemed  to  this  Chinese 
mandarin  that  there  was  nothing  left  for  him  to  do  but  to 
resort  to  that  method  which  every  high-minded  Chinese 
uses  when  he  feels  that  a  great  wrong  is  being  done  to 
him  and  every  avenue  to  justice  is  denied :  he  commit- 
ted suicide.  Now  according  to  Chinese  custom  in  these 
circumstances  the  blame  of  the  whole  case  and  the  re- 
sponsibility of  the  suicide  is  laid  upon  the  enemy.  Such 
a  case  usually  endangers  public  peace.  Not  only  the 
family,  but  the  clan  and  the  neighbours  feel  honour-bound 
to  make  the  case  of  the  deceased  their  own,  and  an  af- 
fair of  such  a  character  is  never  closed  without  a  large  ex- 
penditure of  money  and  sometimes  the  shedding  of  blood 
by  way  of  revenge.  In  this  Nanchang  affair  the  people 
took  up  the  case  of  their  magistrate  and  in  their  fury 
killed  several  of  the  French  priests  and  also  the  family  of 
an  English  missionary.  The  latter  had  nothing  whatever 
to  do  with  the  matter,  but  all  were  foreigners  and  the 
mob  did  not  stop  to  discriminate.  Fortunately  the  fifteen 
American  and  twelve  English  missionaries  living  in  that 
district  were  able  to  escape  in  time  to  save  their  lives, 
but  their  religious  work  has  suffered  and  hundreds  of 
other  foreign  missionaries  living  in  the  Yangste  valley 
have  been  disturbed  in  their  work.  And  all  this  because 
of  the  narrow-mindedness  and  the  bigotry  of  men  who 


148      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

preferred  to  ride  rough  shod  over  the  Chinese  rather  than 
make  allowance  for  their  peculiar  customs.  Far  better 
for  the  foreign  missionary  to  suffer  a  wrong  than  to  bring 
things  to  a  crisis.  The  writer  has  seen  a  copy  of  a 
Chinese  daily  paper  which  published  the  story  of  the  case 
showing  in  a  picture  the  body  of  the  magistrate.  Appeal 
is  made  to  resist  the  claims  of  the  foreign  missionary.  It 
will  take  years  of  hard  Christian  work  before  this  blot 
will  be  erased.  This  was  an  extreme  case,  to  be  sure,  but 
it  goes  to  show  that  we  need  men  of  strong  moral  and 
mental  ability  to  cope  with  situations  and  abnormal  con- 
ditions in  China  during  this  period  of  transformation. 

Among  the  most  important  mental  characteristics  of  a 
foreign  missionary  in  a  country  like  China  we  would 
mention  : — 

First,  the  Gift  of  Practical  Application: — The  mis- 
sionary should  be  a  practical  man,  able  to  meet  the  prob- 
lems of  his  work.  The  man  who  has  developed  only  the 
scholastic  side  of  his  life  or  he  who  is  indefinite  in  his 
methods  of  work  will  not  find  the  Chinese  people  conge- 
nial. They  are  not  of  a  philosophical  trend  of  mind. 
They  are  very  logical  in  their  every-day  life  and  have  a 
definiteness  of  purpose  second  to  no  other  race  on  earth. 
It  is  true  that  often  for  their  own  protection  in  relation 
with  one  another  they  adopt  methods  of  circumlocution 
that  would  lead  the  superficial  observer  to  believe  them 
void  of  the  faculty  of  definiteness,  but  the  Chinese  are  es- 
sentially practical.  The  foreign  missionary  who  influ- 
ences them  the  most  will  be  the  one  who  has  the  gift  of 
applying  his  knowledge  in  a  practical  manner. 

Secondly,  Clearness  of  Perception : — The  missionary  to 
the  Chinese  should  be  a  man  very  difficult  to  deceive. 
The  Chinese  have  a  fine  art  of  suppressing  a  part  of  their 


Essentials  of  a  Successful  Missionary  Career    149 

story,  which,  if  known  to  the  foreign  missionary,  would 
have  enabled  him  to  understand  the  real  issue  of  the  case, 
It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  almost  every  mission  has  suf- 
fered and  been  put  to  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  in  some 
cases  suffered  mortification  because  the  Chinese  Christians 
withheld  the  information  necessary  to  an  understanding 
in  all  the  bearings  of  the  affair.  Sometimes,  no  doubt, 
this  withholding  of  certain  facts  is  unintentional,  but  in 
most  cases  it  is  thought  best  by  the  Chinese  Christians  to 
leave  certain  parts  of  the  story  for  the  foreign  missionary 
to  find  out  for  himself  as  best  he  can.  It  is  this  weakness 
in  the  character  of  the  average  native  Christian  that  con- 
stitutes the  stumbling  block  in  the  way  of  friendly  and 
intimate  relations  between  some  missionaries  and  the  na- 
tive Christians.  To  the  straightfoward  and  truth-loving 
Western  teacher  this  weakness  is  simply  contemptible. 
And  yet  the  foreigner  is  as  much  to  blame  as  the 
Chinese.  The  latter  is  simply  following  a  race  charac- 
teristic in  his  own  land,  but  the  foreigner  has  not  become 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  Chinese,  and  failing  in 
clearness  of  preception  in  understanding  the  story  of  his 
converts  and  in  ferreting  out  the  truth,  serious  misunder- 
standings result.  The  missionary  must  needs  be  able  to 
supply  a  few  missing  links  to  the  story  related  to  him  by 
the  Chinese  and  to  allow  a  large  margin  for  doubt  even 
when  it  is  most  evident  that  the  Christians  have  suffered 
a  great  injustice. 

Thirdly,  A  Mi?zd  Conservative  in  Every  Phase  of  Life : 
— The  Chinese  are  a  conservative  people  and  they  will 
respect  the  conservative  poise  of  mind  on  the  part  of  the 
foreign  missionary.  A  mind  that  is  constantly  changing 
its  attitude  does  not  appeal  to  them.  They  have  learned 
many  things  during  the  long  period  of  their  civilization, 


150      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

and  one  of  the  greatest  lessons  is  that  conservatism  is  at 
once  proper,  respectable  and  safe.  It  is  proper  with  re- 
gard to  the  ancients.  An  existing  institution  with  them 
should  be  treated  with  propriety.  It  has  been  handed 
down  to  them  from  the  ancients  and  they  are  believed  to 
have  been  wise  men  in  their  day.  It  is  respectable  in 
contrast  to  a  desire  for  change;  this  impHes  dissatisfaction 
with  the  present  and  that  is  not  an  ideal  condition.  It  is 
safe  in  knowing  what  one  actually  has  in  contrast  with 
seeking  the  uncertain,  which  may  be  liable  to  lead  to  dis- 
aster and  ruin.  Now  I  am  aware  that  this  very  conserv- 
atism if  strictly  adhered  to  would  make  it  practically  im- 
possible for  him  to  become  a  Christian.  How  can  the 
foreign  missionary  be  conservative  if  his  mission  to  the 
people  involves  the  undermining  of  their  heathen  customs 
and  rites  ?  Still  I  contend  that  it  is  possible  to  maintain  a 
respectful  attitude  towards  the  ancient  institutions  of  the 
people  while  at  the  same  time  he  is  teaching  them  higher 
things.  His  mission  is  not  to  destroy  but  to  fulfill  the 
highest  ideal  of  their  greatest  sages.  The  Christians  are 
considered  by  their  heathen  neighbours  as  iconoclasts 
and  radicals,  and  in  a  sense  they  are,  but  at  heart  these 
very  men  are  conservative  and  this  is  one  of  the  strongest 
characteristics  present  in  their  church  life.  The  conserv- 
ative foreign  missionary  will  have  the  respect  of  all  the 
people,  whereas  the  iconoclast,  the  drummer-Hke  mis- 
sionary, who  wants  to  make  things  hum  and  to  hustle  the 
East  will  fail  utterly  to  make  for  himself  a  place  as  a  re- 
ligious teacher. 

Fourthly,  The  Quick  Mind  of  the  Missionary  and  its 
Dangers: — As  the  missionary  becomes  accustomed  to  the 
ways  of  the  Chinese  he  will  naturally  grasp  certain 
principles  and  methods  which  he  has  found  to  be  proper 


Essentials  of  a  Successful  Missionary  Career    151 

and  effective  in  the  solution  of  certain  problems.  It  be- 
comes a  settled  matter  with  him  that  under  certain  con- 
ditions there  is  one  method  of  procedure  that  is  the  best 
policy.  But  while  this  is  so  it  would  be  a  mistake  for 
him  to  give  an  off-hand  expression  of  opinion  to  the 
Chinese  immediately  after  he  has  related  his  case.  It  is 
a  matter  of  sound  policy  to  ask  him  to  come  again  within 
a  few  hours  or  even  the  next  day  for  a  reply  regarding 
the  matter.  The  Chinese  friend  is  not  only  satisfied  that 
he  has  been  treated  properly,  but  strange  to  say  he  will 
give  more  respect  to  the  advice  offered.  The  missionary 
might  have  given  him  the  same  advice  at  the  close  of 
their  first  meeting,  still  the  effect  w^ould  not  have  been  as 
satisfactory  as  a  dehberate  expression  of  opinion  and 
advice. 

Fifthly,  A  Weak  and  Vacillating  Man  is  Undesirable  in 
China : — As  a  representative  of  the  Christian  church  and 
in  a  measure  of  the  American  people,  the  foreign  mission- 
ary ought  not  only  to  be  of  average  mental  ability  at  least 
but  also  a  man  of  moral  strength.  If  possible  he  should 
be  a  man  who  stood  above  the  average  students  of  his 
class  in  these  things,  certainly  not  below.  The  problems 
on  the  foreign  field  are  sometimes  very  trying.  The  new 
leaven  of  Christianity  is  at  work  and  there  often  arise  by 
reason  of  this  new  moral  force,  conflicts  with  heathenism 
which  demand  most  skillful  guidance.  One  of  the  great- 
est tests  of  the  missionary's  usefulness  will  be  his  ability 
so  to  direct  the  affairs  of  his  mission  that  while  on  the 
one  hand  he  will  try  to  prevent  the  native  Christians  from 
becoming  the  victims  of  heathen  persecution  and  cruelty, 
he  will  on  the  other  hand  aim  to  prove  the  "  good  will" 
of  his  mission  to  the  people  and  eliminate  all  needless 
stress  and  strife.     If  he  fails  in  these  qualities  he  will  fail 


152      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

to  win  that  loyalty  of  the  Chinese  Christians  essential  to 
harmonious  work,  while  the  attitude  of  the  people  will  be 
one  of  passive  hostihty.  The  conditions  of  China  in  this 
generation  need  the  best  men  the  Church  can  produce. 
The  strong  mental  character  of  the  missionary  will  find  a 
large  sphere  for  usefulness. 

Spiritual  Characteristics  of  the  Foreign  Missionary 
Under  this  head  I  would  mention  what  seems  to  me 
the  most  essential  element  in  the  life  of  the  foreign  mis- 
sionary, namely : 

First,  A  Persojial  Conviction  of  a  Call  to  the  Foreign 
Field: — A  man  must  be  sure  of  his  call  to  a  foreign  field. 
He  should  feel  that  it  is  this  above  every  other  place  on 
earth  to  which  he  would  like  to  give  his  whole  life.  Doubts 
as  to  your  calling  will  perhaps  come  as  you  rub  up  against 
heathenism  and  it  will  be  a  great  help  to  the  young  mis- 
sionary to  know  that  the  foundation  of  his  life's  work 
had  been  laid  years  ago.  A  call  to  the  foreign  field  is 
the  recognition  of  the  importance  of  the  work  on  the 
one  hand,  and,  on  the  other,  the  abiding  conviction  of 
one's  own  urgent  responsibiHty  to  obey  the  command  of 
the  Master  to  go.  Every  candidate  for  the  ministry 
ought  to  make  a  careful  study  of  the  world's  need  of  the 
gospel,  and,  in  the  light  of  Christ's  commission  to  go 
unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,  prayerfully  to  con- 
sider his  personal  duty  as  to  this  great  work.  Not  every 
one  is  called  to  go.  But  if  a  young  man  willfuly  ignores 
the  claims  of  the  foreign  field  let  that  man  be  assured 
that  his  sin  of  "  saving  his  life  "  will  find  him  out. 

Secondly,  Spiritual  Leadership  : — A  foreign  missionary 
must  needs  be  a  leader  of  other  men.  He  will  have 
practical   plans  and  ideals  for  the  development  of  his 


REV.  WILLIAM!  ASHMORE,  D.D.,  Fifty-four  years  in  China 


Essentials  of  a  Successful  Missionary  Career    153 

field  far  in  advance  of  his  native  co-workers.  In  the 
working  out  of  the  plans  to  successful  results  the  foreign 
missionary  will  win  the  loyalty  of  the  Chinese  Christians. 
He  must  be  progressive  and  resourceful,  always  leading 
the  little  host  of  Christians  to  greater  undertakings  and 
he  should  never  surrender  his  prerogative  and  duty  as  the 
planner  for  the  development  of  the  work  to  a  native  co- 
worker, though  a  wise  missionary  will  constantly  consult 
with  his  co-workers  as  to  the  best  methods  to  em- 
ploy. 

Thirdly,  A  Life  of  Prayer: — The  Chinese  co-workers 
and  Christians  should  know  that  the  missionary  has  a 
large  place  for  prayer  in  his  life  and  work.  A  legitimate 
amount  of  preaching  and  exhortation  may  be  done  to  in- 
duce the  Christians  to  give  attention  to  prayer.  But  a 
much  better  plan,  as  it  seems  to  me,  is  to  take  this  co- 
worker or  that  Christian  into  your  private  closet  of 
prayer,  as  occasion  permits,  and  with  him  pour  out  your 
heart  in  prayer  in  behalf  of  the  work  in  which  he  also  is 
intensely  interested.  I  feel  that  such  methods  result  in 
greater  helpfulness  to  the  Chinese  preacher,  evangelist 
and  Christian  than  many  long  sermons  on  the  subject. 

Fotirthly,  Benevolent  and  Sympathetic  in  Spirit: — 
There  is  a  danger  that  in  the  multiplicity  of  his  duties 
the  foreign  missionary  may  degenerate  into  the  brusque 
habits  of  a  busy  man  of  the  West.  A  thousand  and  one 
things  must  be  attended  to  although  there  are  native 
Christians  who  have  perhaps  come  a  long  distance  to  see 
the  missionary.  Shall  he  refuse  to  see  them  ?  He  had 
better  refuse  if  he  cannot  meet  them  with  a  sympathetic 
spirit.  These  poor  but  faithful  witnesses  in  the  towns 
and  hamlets  of  China  look  to  the  foreign  missionary  for 
spiritual  strength.     The  spirit  of  kindness  or  unkindness 


154      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

with  which  he  meets  these  humble  followers  of  Christ 
will  be  reflected  in  their  lives  as  they  leave  his  home  to 
return  to  their  abodes.  We  have  already  stated  in  a  for- 
mer lecture  that  **  might  makes  right "  in  China  and  that 
consequently  many  thousands  of  Chinese  are  crushed  and 
ruined  every  day.  The  amount  of  suffering  that  our 
Christian  brethren  undergo  would  fill  volumes.  The  of- 
ficials do  not  want  to  render  justice  to  the  Christians. 
By  reason  of  his  position  the  foreign  missionary  is  looked 
upon  by  the  Christians  as  the  protector  of  their  lives  and 
property.  Can  he  refuse  to  succour  them  in  times  of  dis- 
tress ?  If  a  man  is  callous  or  indifferent  to  the  sufferings 
of  his  fellow  men  let  him  not  go  to  China  in  this  day  of 
transformation.  We  need  to  add  that  while  the  foreign 
missionary  is  not  sent  to  act  the  part  of  a  lawyer  in  cases 
of  htigation,  it  is  simply  impossible  for  him  at  the  present 
time  to  ignore  his  duty  to  find  ways  and  means  by  which 
friction,  lawsuits  and  bloodshed  may  be  averted. 

FiftJilyy  Courage : — I  do  not  mean  physical  so  much  as 
moral  and  spiritual  courage.  There  will  be  moments 
when  the  missionary  will  feel  the  loss  of  that  help  that 
comes  by  reason  of  numbers.  He  finds  himself  alone, 
facing  many  thousands  of  heathen.  He  is  out  of  sym- 
pathy with  most  of  their  customs  and  rites,  and  feels  him- 
self called  to  a  work  that  is  to  supplant  these  idolatrous 
institutions.  But  what  an  undertaking  !  He  soon  learns 
that  every  step  in  the  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
will  call  forth  severe  persecutions  upon  the  new  converts. 
As  he  sees  the  suffering  he  will  ask  himself  whether  it  is 
right  to  call  men  to  such  a  career.  He  will  need  to  have 
a  clear  conception  of  the  laws  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  of 
the  aims  of  the  Church  and  the  real  ministry  of  suffering 
for  Jesus'  sake  if  he  is  to  remain  steadfast  in  his  work. 


Essentials  of  a  Successful  Missionary  Career    155 

The  true  foreign  missionary  suffers  with  the  native 
Christians  and  their  joy  causes  him  to  rejoice. 

Sixthly y  A  Passion  for  Souls  : — Why  did  I  not  place 
this  characteristic  at  the  head  of  all  requirements  ?  It 
certainly  must  be  one  of  the  most  marked  characteristics 
of  the  man  who  goes  to  the  foreign  field.  To  lead  a  soul 
to  Christ  is  the  very  essence  of  the  missionary  calling. 
We  are  not  called  or  sent  to  the  foreign  field  to  become 
"  missionary  statesmen  "  at  the  expense  of  abandoning  the 
"  urgency  "  of  the  gospel  message.  We  are  to  follow  the 
example  of  our  Lord  and  Master  and  preach  the  gospel, 
even  though  tired  from  a  day's  trip,  to  any  man  or  woman 
on  the  road  or  at  the  well.  Some  people  disparage  the 
method  of  counting  converts  brought  into  the  church  of 
God  and  so  would  I  if  the  counting  is  done  in  a  wrong 
spirit.  But  it  is  a  New  Testament  method,  recorded  for 
the  encouragement  of  the  whole  Church. 

Seventhly,  Humility  Towards  God  and  Confidence  in 
One's  Message : — The  immensity  of  the  work  and  the 
poverty  of  the  missionary's  own  resources  will  keep  him 
humble  towards  his  God.  It  is  a  startling  fact  that  mortal 
beings  are  co-workers  with  Christ  in  the  extension  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  on  earth.  When  we  honestly  consider 
our  shortcomings,  limitations  and  sinfulness  it  is  nothing 
less  than  a  miracle  that  we  are  permitted  to  have  a  share 
in  this  work.  While  this  is  evident  it  also  is  true  that 
the  foreign  missionary  needs  a  subhme  confidence  when 
in  the  presence  of  hundreds  of  heathen.  The  author  has 
often  felt  as  he  stood  in  the  presence  of  hundreds  of  peo- 
ple preaching,  that  he  must  fail  in  bringing  conviction  of 
the  truth  in  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.  And  yet  as  he  be- 
gan to  open  his  lips  to  utter  those  precious  truths  he 
never  failed  to  receive  the  necessary  power  to  deliver  the 


156      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

message  with  a  triumphant  ring.     Christ's  promise  to  be 
with  His  messengers  holds  good  to  this  day. 

Eighthly y  He  Should  be  a  Man  with  a  Message  : — The 
missionary  does  wisely  in  giving  his  whole  attention  to 
the  proclamation  of  a  positive  gospel.  Let  error  take 
care  of  itself.  In  preaching  the  cardinal  doctrines  of  the 
gospel  he  will  give  the  people  truths  which  will  stir 
them  to  intense  excitement.  Sin  should  be  taken  as  a 
fact  in  life  and  everybody  will  agree  with  the  missionary 
whenever  he  may  expound  that  truth.  The  Chinese 
themselves  have  developed  several  systems  by  which  they 
hope  to  escape  the  power  of  sin.  The  message  of  a 
Saviour,  that  He  died  for  the  remission  of  sin  for  the 
whole  human  race  and  that  this  same  Saviour  lives  and 
has  all  power  in  heaven  and  earth,  is  a  message  of  glad 
tidings  indeed.  The  Chinese  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  a  fu- 
ture state  of  happiness  more  than  we  of  America  are  wont 
to.  Perhaps  this  is  due  to  the  distressful  experiences 
they  have  to  undergo  in  this  life,  so  that  heaven  is  to 
them  in  the  fullest  sense  what  the  Bible  represents  it  to 
be. 

Hard  Common  Sense  and  Business  Ability 
The  missionary  having  charge  of  the  field  must  be  a 
man  who  delights  to  get  among  the  people  rather  than  a 
student  who  is  constantly  in  his  study.  Labour  on  the 
foreign  field  is  manifold  and  no  learning  nor  accomplish- 
ment will  be  lost.  In  closing  this  chapter  let  us  mention 
a  number  of  duties  that  may  come  to  the  average  mis- 
sionary and  for  which  he  should  make  provision  in  his 
preparation  for  the  foreign  field. 

I .  He  should  be  a  theologian :  — As  a  religious  teacher 
he  must  be  apt  in  thinking  along  the  lines  of  orthodox 


Essentials  of  a  Successful  Missionary  Career    157 

theology.  A  careless  mind  in  religious  thinking  will 
never  do.  The  native  preachers  and  pastors  are  strug- 
gling with  theological  terms  and  thoughts  and  often  they 
will  run  into  heresy  without  being  aware  of  it.  But  what 
if  the  missionary  is  not  careful  to  correct  the  erratic 
views  ?  The  bad  leaven  may  then  leaven  the  whole 
lump.  It  is  no  easy  task  to  discriminate  between  right 
and  wrong  theological  terms  in  a  new  language  and  often 
it  is  impossible  to  find  terms  to  cover  the  exact  meaning ; 
so  we  must  simply  choose  the  term  nearest  to  the  thought 
and  wait  until  the  Christian  consciousness  of  the  Church 
gives  it  its  full  meaning.  The  conditions  being  as  they 
are,  it  is  necessary  that  the  missionary  should  have  an 
historical  knowledge  of  theological  dogma.  This  will 
help  him  not  only  to  judge  the  present  phase  of  theolog- 
ical discussion  but  also  to  understand  the  little  heresies 
cropping  out  here  and  there  among  the  Chinese  Chris- 
tians. 

2.  He  should  know  somethiitg  about  pathology  and 
medicine :  — If  he  is  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  physician 
as  a  co-worker,  as  every  foreign  missionary  should  have, 
this  knowledge  will  not  be  required.  If,  however,  he  has 
no  doctor  at  his  station,  he  will  often  have  to  give  the 
subject  attention.  Some  members  of  his  own  family  will 
need  his  aid  and  the  Chinese  will  constantly  come  for 
medicines.  A  wise  missionary  will  always  have  a  good 
stock  of  quinine  and  some  Pain  Killer  on  hand.  The 
author  knows  of  an  instance  where  one  of  his  fellow  mis- 
sionaries. Rev.  S.  B.  Partridge,  D.  D.,  saved  hundreds  of 
lives  during  an  epidemic  of  cholera  by  distributing  Davis' 
Pain  Killer.  We  are  increasing  the  number  of  medical 
missionaries  in  these  days  and  so  it  will  not  be  necessary 
for  the  evangelistic  missionary  to  give  attention  to  this 


158      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

matter  except  when  he  is  itinerating  and  may  be  several 
days'  journey  from  his  station.  On  such  trips  he  should 
always  have  some  good  remedies  with  him. 

3.  He  should  have  administrative  ability  :  — The  ad- 
ministrative work  is  the  most  important  of  all.  Problems 
are  continually  coming  up  for  solution  and  the  mission- 
ary must  find  the  proper  way  to  meet  the  difficulties. 
This  is  a  constant  grind  and  sometimes  becomes  a  weari- 
ness to  the  flesh.  Good,  sound  judgment  is  absolutely 
necessary.  A  thorough  knowledge  of  the  laws  and  cus- 
toms of  the  people  is  imperative  and  without  this  more 
harm  than  good  will  result. 

He  will  need  administrative  abihty  in  the  management 
of  schools.  Shortly  after  a  Christian  congregation  is 
formed  it  is  proper  to  think  about  the  organization  of  a 
day  school  for  the  children  of  the  Christians.  These 
schools  should  be  so  organized  as  to  graduate  their 
scholars  into  a  higher  school,  i.  e.,  the  Christian  boarding 
school.  Chinese  teachers  must  be  trained  how  to  govern 
such  schools,  for  evidently  our  Christian  schools  must 
have  a  system  superior  to  that  of  the  Confucian  schools. 

4.  He  must  be  a  good  teacher:  — The  foreign  mission- 
ary is  not  only  a  planter  of  the  church  but  also  a  trainer. 
But  training  of  the  church  implies  teaching,  and  that  is  a 
work  that  must  be  carried  on  systematically  for  years. 
Then  we  have  the  training  of  the  young  preachers  and 
evangelists,  who  some  day  should  become  regularly  or- 
dained pastors  of  the  Chinese  churches.  The  various 
church  officers,  too,  need  to  be  trained.  After  the  first 
years  of  strenuous  pioneer  work  are  past  and  the  most 
strategic  centres  have  been  occupied,  the  work  of  the 
foreign  missionary  may  be  said  to  change  from  that  of 
an  evangelist  to  that  of  a  teacher. 


Essentials  of  a  Successful  Missionary  Career    159 

5.  He  shotdd  know  something  about  bookkeeping  :  — 
It  is  surprising  what  large  sums  of  money  pass  through 
the  hands  of  some  missionaries  during  a  period  of  a  few 
years.  This  is  especially  the  case  if  buildings  have  to  be 
erected.  There  are  many  different  accounts  to  be  kept. 
For  instance,  there  is  the  yearly  appropriation  made  for 
the  support  ^of  the  work  and  the  salary  of  the  missionary 
and  there  are  always  certain  specifics.  Then  one  has  to 
report  to  the  mission  board  in  this  country  and  to  the 
treasurer  of  the  mission  on  the  field,  to  keep  track  of  the 
accounts  of  the  Chinese  church,  and  so  forth.  It  is  simply 
a  matter  of  proper  business  methods  to  have  all  of  these 
accounts  in  perfect  condition,  and  yet  unless  a  man 
knows  a  few  elements  of  bookkeeping  he  will  spend 
hours  and  days  trying  to  find  the  cause  of  a  deficit  or 
surplus  of  twenty-five  cents. 

6.  The  missionary  should  know  something  about 
architecture  and  building :  — A  missionary  who  under- 
stands something  about  architecture  will  be  able  to  render 
a  great  service  to  the  entire  mission.  Some  missions 
have  a  building  committee  and  all  buildings  to  be  erected 
must  first  be  approved  by  that  committee.  It  is  evident 
at  once  that  a  man  knowing  the  principles  of  building  can 
be  of  great  help  by  serving  on  such  a  committee.  As  an 
illustration  of  the  amount  of  building  of  houses  and  chapels 
that  becomes  the  duty  of  an  average  missionary  let  me  re- 
view our  own  experiences  at  Kityang.  There  have  been 
built  on  this  field  during  the  past  ten  years  two  two- 
storied  dwelling  houses,  a  large  chapel  at  the  central 
station,  twelve  chapels  at  various  outstations,  and  the  ren- 
ovation of  about  ten  old  buildings  into  chapels.  At  the 
present  time  a  large  hospital  is  being  erected. 

There  are  other  duties  that  come  to  our  missionaries 


i6o      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

sometimes,  for  instance  the  matter  of  publishing  and 
printing  Christian  Hterature.  It  is  the  missionary  who 
feels  the  great  need  of  proper  books  and  tracts.  He 
sometimes  translates  the  books  into  the  Chinese  language 
and  formerly  had  in  some  instances  to  print  them  himself. 
We  have  now  well  equipped  publishing  houses  that  can 
do  the  work  more  cheaply  and  more  neatly  than  can  be 
done  by  any  amateur  effort. 

Perhaps  we  are  somewhat  discouraged  with  ourselves 
and  our  abilities  after  reviewing  the  elements  of  character 
essential  to  a  successful  career  as  a  foreign  missionary. 
Still  we  know  that  God  can  use  the  man  who  tries  to 
serve  Him  faithfully.  In  meeting  the  obligations  of  our 
daily  duties  we  find  that  we  grow  stronger  and  become 
better  fitted  to  meet  future  problems.  But  he  who  thinks 
of  the  sphere  of  the  foreign  missionary  as  a  limited  one 
and  for  which  any  Christian  worker  will  answer,  does  not 
know  the  true  facts.  Some  may  have  thought  of  the  life 
of  a  foreign  missionary  as  a  work  in  which  one  cannot  ex- 
pand and  grow  but  I  assure  you  such  never  made  a 
greater  mistake.  The  life  of  a  foreign  missionary,  above 
every  other  vocation  of  life,  is  broadening  and  deepening 
for  every  part  and  faculty  of  the  man. 


VIII 

THE  POLITICAL  STATUS  OF  THE  MISSIONARY 
IN  CHINA 

The  missionary  has  become  a  troublesome  subject  in 
international  politics.  The  results  of  his  activities  are 
recognized  by  his  foes  as  well  as  by  his  friends.  Some 
condemn  his  work  as  worse  than  useless,  and  if  their 
counsels  could  prevail  all  missionary  activity  would  be 
prohibited  or  the  protection  of  the  missionary's  govern- 
ment withdrawn.  Others  recognize  the  work  of  the  for- 
eign missionary  to  be  helpful  not  only  to  individuals  but 
also  to  the  Chinese  nation  as  a  whole.  In  China  the 
missionary  problem  has  been  for  many  years  one  of  the 
leading  questions  among  the  mandarins.  Some  of  the 
officials  are  bold  enough  to  admit  that  the  work  of  the 
missionaries  is  a  great  help.  Thus,  only  recently  H.  E. 
Viceroy  Tuan  Fong  said  the  following  at  a  reception 
in  New  York  City  tendered  the  visiting  high  commis- 
sioners of  the  emperor  of  China :  "  We  take  pleasure  in 
bearing  testimony  to  the  part  taken  by  American  mis- 
sionaries in  promoting  the  progress  of  the  Chinese  peo- 
ple. They  have  borne  the  light  of  Western  civilization 
into  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  empire.  They  have 
rendered  inestimable  service  to  China  by  the  laborious 
task  of  translating  into  the  Chinese  language  religious 
and  scientific  works.  They  help  us  to  bring  happiness 
and  comfort  to  the  poor  and  suffering  by  the  establish- 
ment of  hospitals  and  schools.  The  awakening  of  China 
which  now  seems  to  be  at  hand  may  be  traced  in  no 

i6i 


i62      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

small  measure  to  the  hands  of  the  missionary.  For  this 
service  you  will  find  China  not  ungrateful."  Without  a 
doubt  there  were  other  mandarins  present  at  that  occa- 
sion who  would  not  agree  with  this  frank  admission  of  the 
viceroy.  Fortunately  the  missionary  is  not  looking  for 
the  approval  of  Chinese  officials  or  of  American  critics. 
He  believes  that  Christ,  his  Lord  and  Master,  knew  what 
was  involved  when  He  commanded  His  followers,  "  Go 
into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  crea- 
ture." Those  are  His  "  marching  orders  "  and  the  true 
missionary  does  not  concern  himself  regarding  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  world  as  to  whether  he  is  right  or  wrong 
in  fulfilling  Christ's  commands.  But  while  this  is  so 
(and  even  his  foes  must  grant  him  the  freedom  of  exer- 
cising his  innermost  convictions),  the  missionary  is  under 
moral  obligations  to  be  circumspect  and  discriminating 
in  the  methods  of  his  work.  The  religion  of  Jesus  seeks 
the  good  in  every  human  being  and  aims  to  bring  all 
things  excellent  into  captivity  for  the  progress  of  the 
kingdom  of  God.  A  review  of  missionary  history  in 
China  is  a  chapter  of  promising  successes  and  complete 
failures.  The  catastrophies  that  overwhelmed  Christian 
missions  in  previous  centuries  were  not  always  the  result 
of  mistakes  on  the  part  of  missionaries,  but  often  had 
their  causes  to  a  great  degree  in  the  traditional  opposi- 
tion of  the  Chinese  Government  to  the  foreign  religion. 

The  Foreign  Missionary  and  the  Chinese 
Government 

In  order  to  be  just  towards  the  Chinese  Government  it 
ought  to  be  stated  that  it  has  had  unfortunate  experiences 
during  the  past  centuries  with  the  leaders  of  Christian 
missionary    endeavour.     These    heroic    Christian    men, 


Political  Status  of  the  Missionary  163 

almost  without  exception,  held  to  the  idea  that  the  suc- 
cess of  their  missionary  cause  demanded  that  they  exert 
a  political  influence  in  the  empire.  We  know  that  the 
ancient  Nestorians,  who  had  at  one  time  a  most  flourish- 
ing church  in  China,  collapsed  when  they  set  their  hopes 
upon  royal  favour  and  became  men  of  importance  in  the 
political  life  of  the  nation.  The  same  sad  story,  even  in 
a  more  drastic  manner,  may  be  related  in  the  case  of  the 
mission  of  the  Jesuit  fathers  of  two  centuries  ago.  We 
know  that  many  tens  of  thousands  of  Chinese  converts 
lost  their  lives  because  the  government  of  China  was  de- 
termined that  there  could  be  only  one  supreme  power 
within  the  realm  and  that  for  a  Chinese  subject  to  receive 
instructions  from  the  pope  of  Rome  meant  nothing  less 
than  treason  against  the  "  Son  of  Heaven."  What  a 
lesson  these  instances  teach  the  missionary  of  to-day  !  It 
would  seem  that  if  missionaries  in  China  loved  their  own 
work  and  desired  it  to  be  permanent  they  would  forever 
have  done  w^ith  meddling  with  the  political  conditions  of 
the  country. 

The  French  Catholic  missionaries  exercise  a  greater 
protection  over  their  converts  and  adherents  than  do  the 
missionaries  of  any  other  country.  This  is  due  on  the 
one  hand  to  the  traditional  policy  of  the  French  Govern- 
ment, which  has  always  been  eager  to  further  her  polit- 
ical influence  by  asserting  the  right  of  protection  over 
Christian  converts  in  heathen  and  Mohammedan  coun- 
tries ;  and  on  the  other  hand  to  the  fact  that  the  French 
missionaries  were  encouraged  in  this  by  the  Chinese 
Government,  which,  as  we  have  already  seen,  granted  the 
Catholic  missionaries  an  official  status  on  equality  with 
their  own  officials.  It  is  only  just  towards  the  Chinese 
Government,  however,  to  say  that  this  concession  was 


164      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

granted  only  after  much  pressure  had  been  exerted  by 
the  French  minister,  who  had  the  support  of  the  Russian 
representative.  The  decree  was  granted  the  fifteenth  of 
March,  1899,  in  the  period  when  the  Russian- French 
alhance  had  complete  control  of  affairs  at  Peking.  The 
decree  could  not  possibly  be  issued  at  the  present  time  ; 
the  Anglo- Japanese  alhance  would  not  tolerate  such  a 
reactionary  measure.  There  can  be  no  hope  for  internal 
peace  in  China  until  these  prerogatives  are  counter- 
manded, or  at  least  greatly  modified.  It  would  be  to  the 
spiritual  interest  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  China 
and  to  the  progress  of  all  reform  if  this  right  of  exercising 
the  functions  of  a  Chinese  magistrate  were  relinquished 
by  the  Roman  Catholic  priests.  It  is  an  undeniable  fact 
that  because  of  this  anomaly  the  name  of  God  is 
blasphemed  among  the  heathen.  It  is  impossible  to 
exaggerate  the  critical  conditions  which  this  misuse  of 
power  on  the  part  of  French  priests  in  the  domestic 
affairs  of  Chinese  lawsuits  has  caused.  The  priests  use 
every  opportunity  to  flaunt  this  prerogative  and  power  in 
the  faces  of  the  people.  An  illustration  of  this  occurred 
some  time  ago  at  Kityang  of  which  the  writer  was  an 
eye-witness.  The  French  bishop  of  Canton  visited  the 
Catholic  churches  and  missions  on  the  Kityang  field. 
Hundreds  of  people  went  to  the  wharf  to  meet  him, 
among  whom  were  many  carrying  banners  which  were 
given  to  them  by  the  lower  officials  of  the  church,  bear- 
ing inscriptions  such  as  these  :  "  The  Imperial  Religion," 
••  Under  Government  Protection,"  "  By  Royal  Command." 
The  presence  of  the  bishop  at  any  place  where  court  was 
held  would  so  influence  the  Chinese  officials  that  no 
Catholic  convert  feared  the  outcome  of  his  case.  It  has 
been  known  that  French  CathoHc  adherents  who  knew 


Political  Status  of  the  Missionary  165 

that  the  French  priests  were  in  the  neighbourhood 
would  openly  defy  the  judges  at  the  trial.  In  one  in- 
stance a  murderer  defied  a  magistrate  and  the  latter 
ordered  the  offender  to  be  beheaded  then  and  there.  If 
all  the  Chinese  officials  had  the  courage  that  this  man  had 
the  issue  would  at  once  become  definite.  It  is  a  common 
thing  for  priests  to  enter  a  yamen  and  demand  instant 
release  of  a  Catholic  adherent ;  and  nine  times  out  of  ten 
they  are  successful.  It  is  said  that  since  the  Japanese 
and  Russian  war  the  Catholic  priests  have  become  more 
moderate  and  careful  in  their  demands  upon  the  govern- 
ment. Whether  this  is  wholly  due  to  the  results  of  the 
war  or  in  part  to  the  present  reaction  against  ecclesiasti- 
cism  in  France,  is  difficult  for  an  outsider  to  say.  The 
fact  remains  that  the  change  to  a  more  moderate  pohcy 
from  that  of  intimidating  the  Chinese  non-Catholics  and 
overawing  the  common  people,  began  at  the  time 
when  the  Russians  met  with  defeat  on  both  land  and 
sea. 

The  American  Foreign  Missionary  and  His 
Government 

The  American  Government  has  always  recognized  that 
the  rights  of  the  missionary  in  foreign  countries  are  the 
same  as  those  of  any  other  American  citizen  sojourning  in 
that  country — no  more  and  no  less.  In  China  all  Ameri- 
cans as  well  as  Europeans  stand  under  the  exterritoriality 
law.  That  is,  the  foreigner  cannot  be  arrested  and  placed 
on  trial  by  the  Chinese  Government.  Should  he  be  charged 
with  having  committed  a  crime,  the  Chinese  Government 
can  only  hand  him  over  to  the  authorities  representing 
his  government,  usually  a  consul,  to  be  tried  by  that 
official   if   the   crime   committed   does   not   exceed   his 


i66      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

jurisdiction.  In  the  case  of  very  great  crimes  the  person 
is  sent  home  a  prisoner  to  be  tried  by  some  higher  court 
in  the  home  land.  There  are  of  course  sufficient  reasons 
why  the  civilized  nations  refuse  to  allow  their  subjects  to 
be  imprisoned  and  punished  by  a  government  Hke  China. 
The  Chinese  courts  of  justice  are  antiquated  and  wholly 
unreliable.  Bodily  punishment  is  used  to  compel  the 
prisoner,  whether  guilty  or  innocent,  to  confess.  The 
assumption  of  the  court  is  that  a  man  arrested  is  guilty 
and  is  to  be  treated  so  until  he  can  prove  his  innocence. 
The  habit  of  bribing  both  the  magistrate  and  his  un- 
derlings is  all  but  universal  in  China.  The  Chinese 
prisons  are  filthy  beyond  description  and  are  leprous.  It 
will  be  many  years  before  any  Christian  nation  will  allow 
China  to  judge  and  imprison  any  of  its  subjects.  The 
government  of  China  naturally  would  like  to  see  the  day 
hastened.  She  considers  it  a  disgrace  to  be  compelled 
to  grant  exterritoriality  to  foreign  nations,  while  her 
own  citizens  are  treated  with  contempt  in  many  countries. 
Then  again,  she  has  the  great  object  lesson  of  Japan  in 
this  respect  before  her.  As  we  know,  two  generations 
ago  the  courts  of  Japan  and  her  prisons  were  similar  to 
those  in  China  to-day.  But  Japan,  unlike  China,  at 
once  set  to  work  to  reconstruct  her  code  of  laws  and 
thoroughly  reform  her  prisons.  Her  statesmen  were 
patriotic  and  for  the  love  of  their  country  carried  out  the 
reform  measures  with  a  high  moral  purpose  which  won 
the  admiration  of  all  nations.  So  well  did  she  succeed 
that  every  nation  willingly  acquiesced  in  Japan's  request 
to  have  the  exterritorial  status  cancelled.  To-day  Japa- 
nese judges  try  cases  of  Europeans  living  in  Japan  with 
the  same  rectitude  and  unimpeachableness  as  character- 
izes any  American  court.     China  has  appointed  a  com- 


Political  Status  of  the  Missionary         167 

mission  to  consider  a  reconstruction  of  her  laws,  but  even 
though  the  most  perfect  laws  were  to  be  codified,  the 
present  condition  of  Chinese  officialdom  makes  it  im- 
possible for  the  foreigner  to  expect  any  improvement  for 
many  years  to  come. 

Chinese  Officials  and  Foreign  Missionaries 
Foreign  missionaries  living  in  the  interior  of  China 
know  the  Chinese  officials  as  few  others  can  know  them. 
Apart  from  the  general  system  of  "  graft "  and  avarice, 
which  the  Chinese  mandarin  is  compelled  to  use  because 
of  the  government's  policy  towards  him,  the  average 
magistrate  is  a  man  desiring  to  do  what  he  understands 
is  right  and  just.  That  many  mandarins  hate  the  very 
sight  of  a  foreigner  is  only  natural,  if  we  consider 
how  many  times  their  country  has  been  humiliated 
by  European  nations.  Some  of  them  have  a  bitter 
spirit  of  revenge  and  are  as  cruel  as  death.  The  mas- 
sacre of  foreign  men,  women  and  children  by  Chinese 
mobs  is  an  incident  of  our  current  history  which  fills 
every  one  with  horror.  The  fact  that  the  Chinese  gov- 
ernment finds  it  impossible  to  prevent  these  outbreaks, 
has  led  many  to  think  it  wise  for  missionaries  to  leave 
the  country  or  to  limit  their  missionary  activity  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  treaty  ports  along  the  coast.  But  such  a 
plan  is  repudiated  by  every  missionary  as  not  only  cow- 
ardly but  unworthy  of  the  cause  of  foreign  missions. 
The  missionary  is  aware  of  the  danger  that  is  involved 
by  penetrating  into  the  heart  of  China,  but  in  spite  of  it 
he  feels  that  the  message  of  Christ  must  be  preached 
everywhere.  The  present  abnormal  condition  of  mis- 
sionary work  in  China  is  due  to  two  factors,  both  essen- 
tially political.     The  corruption  of  China's  government  is 


i68      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

one  of  the  factors,  and  the  method  of  propaganda  of  the 
French  Catholic  priests  is  the  other.  Every  large  com- 
munity of  Chinese  has  its  mob  element,  which  is  ever 
ready  to  make  trouble  as  soon  as  the  magistrate  is  thought 
to  be  indifferent  to  deeds  of  injustice.  The  first  to  suffer 
are  often  the  Christian  converts.  What  is  the  proper 
attitude  for  the  foreign  missionary  to  adopt  at  a  time 
when  the  lives  of  men,  women  and  children  are  endan- 
gered ?  Shall  he  call  upon  the  officials  to  render  neces- 
sary protection  for  the  converts  ?  There  are  some  who 
maintain  that  the  missionary  ought  never  to  have  any 
relations  with  government  officials  in  China.  But  such  a 
view  is  perhaps  due  more  to  ignorance  of  the  true  condi- 
tion of  affairs  than  to  any  intention  of  doing  his  fellow 
men  a  wrong.  It  will  never  do  for  us  to  maintain  that 
there  ought  to  be  no  official  relation  between  the  foreign 
missionary  and  the  Chinese  officials.  Our  American 
Government  has  made  a  treaty  with  the  Chinese  Govern- 
ment concerning  the  status  of  Americans  living  in  that 
empire.  The  Chinese  magistrates  can  and  sometimes  do 
demand  passports  of  foreigners  before  granting  permis- 
sion to  travel  through  their  districts.  The  officials  are 
held  strictly  responsible  for  any  attack  that  may  be  made 
upon  the  person  of  the  foreigner  while  in  his  domain. 
The  foreign  missionary  is  oftentimes  placed  in  charge  of 
thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  property  belonging  to 
missionary  societies  and  the  United  States  consul  expects 
the  missionaries  to  keep  him  informed  of  the  condition 
of  their  fields  as  regards  any  anti-foreign  feeling.  The 
consul  would  consider  that  missionaries  had  been  negli- 
gent in  their  duty  did  they  not  notify  the  Chinese  magis- 
trates of  any  premeditated  plan  to  injure  the  native 
Christians.     It  is  simply  impossible  to  live  in  the  interior 


Political  Status  of  the  Missionary         169 

of  China  as  a  foreign  missionary  and  not  to  have  some 
official  relations  with  the  mandarin. 

But  the  simple  method  of  informing  the  Chinese  magis- 
trate regarding  a  threatened  attack  upon  Christians,  or 
reporting  violence  already  committed,  is  quite  a  different 
matter  from  demanding  as  an  official  of  equal  status  the 
immediate  arrest  and  punishment  of  certain  persons  or 
the  liberation   of  imprisoned   converts,  as  is  constantly 
done  by  the  French  Catholic  priests.     Here  we  at  once 
enter  upon  a  political  situation  which  will  sooner  or  later 
occupy  the  attention  of  the  powers  of  the  Western  world. 
Because  of  this  stumbling-block  of  interference,  the  peace 
of  China  is  threatened  and  almost  every  Christian  nation 
represented  among  the   missionaries  has  suffered  because 
of  this  medieval  and  antiquated  method  of  doing  Chris- 
tian work.     Surely  the  Christian  nations  are  justified,  in 
view  of  the  past  annoyances  and  sufferings,  to  utter  a 
word  of  protest  to  France  and  ask  that  she  annul  the  de- 
cree which  gave  the  Catholic  priests  the  status  of  Chinese 
officials.     Since  its  issue  it  has  become  known  as  a  dis- 
turber of  international  peace.     If  France  should  refuse  to 
acquiesce,  the  civilized  nations  ought  to  support  China  in 
a  determined  effort  to  annul  the  decree,  which  is  to-day 
utterly  repugnant  to   the  whole   country.     There  cannot 
be  peace  in  China  until  this  source  of  contention  is  done 
away  with.     The  Chinese  are  convinced  that  the  French 
priests   have  made  unfair  use  of  this  courtesy  and  they 
will  not  stop   shedding   blood  in  order  to   impress  the 
world  with  their  innermost  convictions.     The  heathen  do 
not  discriminate  between  the  various  nations  ;  they  be- 
lieve that  all  foreigners  are  alike  in  methods  and  intent. 
The  emphatic   refusal  of  many  evangelical  missionaries 
throughout   China  to   make  use  of  political  recognition 


lyo      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

has  not  failed  to  impress  the  people,  but  it  is  over- 
shadowed by  the  constant  exercise  and  abuse  of  the 
French  priests  in  defending  so-called  adherents.  Foreign 
missionaries  outside  the  Roman  Catholic  propaganda 
have  almost  to  a  man  refused  political  recognition, 
although  it  was  offered  to  them.  But  in  spite  of  this  fact, 
the  missionary  is  looked  upon  by  the  common  people 
not  only  as  a  person  of  wealth  but  also  as  one  represent- 
ing the  pohtical  power  of  his  government.  The  fact  that 
he  holds  the  honourable  position  of  a  teacher  only 
strengthens  this  conviction.  This  is  perfectly  Chinese 
and  in  accord  with  their  own  ideas  of  propriety.  We 
protest  and  explain,  but  the  people  will  not  be  convinced, 
except  perhaps,  that  we  are  moderate  in  the  use  of  our 
powers.  There  are  reasons  why  the  people  cling  to  this 
belief.  They  have  noticed  that  wrong  committed  against 
some  missionaries  resulted  in  a  visit  of  several  gun-boats 
in  the  harbour,  and  any  one  who  is  cared  for  by  his  gov- 
ernment to  such  an  extent  according  to  Chinese  ideas 
must  be  an  agent  of  his  government  of  no  mean  degree. 
But  this  supposed  influence  attracts  many  people  to  the 
missionary  under  the  pretense  of  being  interested  in  the 
gospel,  whose  real  purpose  is  to  seek  protection  from  the 
consequences  of  their  own  covetousness  and  crimes. 
The  missionary  is,  to  some  extent,  the  same  refuge  which 
David  proved  to  be  while  abiding  in  the  cave  of  Adullam : 
"  Every  one  that  was  discontented  gathered  themselves 
unto  him  and  he  became  a  captain  over  them."  David 
might  have  had  use  for  them  in  building  up  a  pohtical 
kingdom,  but  the  coming  of  such  men  into  our  missions 
in  China  does  not  help  in  the  least  in  the  building  up  of 
the  kingdom  of  God.  They  are  a  distinct  harm  to  the 
work  and  place  the  missionaries  in  a  wrong  position  be- 


Political  Status  of  the  Missionary  171 

fore  the  whole  world.  The  missionary  does  not  encour- 
age the  coming  of  men  who  have  lawsuits,  but  the  very 
fact  that  he  allows  them  to  come  is  sufficient,  in  the 
light  of  the  abuse  on  the  part  of  the  French  missionaries, 
to  satisfy  the  better  elements  that  missionary  work  has 
degenerated  to  the  office  of  a  lawyer  accepting  clients  in- 
volved in  litigation.  The  Chinese  officials  also  get  a 
wrong  impression  of  the  work  if  these  men  having  law- 
suits with  their  neighbours  can  go  about  boasting  that 
they  have  united  with  the  mission.  It  has  always  seemed 
to  the  writer  that  all  missionaries  ought  to  take  high 
ground  in  this  matter;  a  very  strict  refusal  to  receive 
these  men  will  help  to  let  the  Chinese  officials,  as  well  as 
the  common  people,  know  that  we  are  opposed  and  will 
not  allow  people  having  lawsuits  to  seek  refuge  in  the 
Christian  mission.  The  promise  that  is  sometimes  made 
by  whole  villages  involved  in  litigation  that  if  the  mis- 
sionary will  but  put  in  a  good  word  with  the  Chinese 
official  they  all  will  become  Christians  is  a  snare  of  the 
evil  one  to  pervert  the  ideal  method  of  the  extension  of 
the  Kingdom.  Such  a  venture  and  undertaking  very 
seldom  produce  a  normal  Christian  character.  The  very 
foundation  of  such  mission  work  is  not  according  to  the 
gospel  of  Christ  Jesus.  I  have  seen  the  results  of  such 
methods  applied  by  our  French  neighbours.  For  a 
season  hundreds  clamour  to  enter  the  church,  but  after 
the  case  of  litigation  is  settled  there  is  a  great  falling 
away,  until  hardly  any  traces  are  left  of  the  whole  move- 
ment. It  has  paid  evangelical  missions  in  China,  even 
from  a  policy  of  expediency,  leaving  out  the  greater 
moral  side  of  the  problem,  to  have  had  nothing  to  do 
with  such  cases.  This  is  also  the  desire  of  the  American 
government  officials.     A  few  years  ago  the  United  States 


172      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

minister  at  Peking  advised  the  American  missionaries 
"  to  refrain  from  interfering  in  lawsuits  or  persecution  in 
which  native  Christians  may  be  interested  when  the  cases 
are  purely  Chinese,  involving  no  foreign  interests  and 
not  being  cases  of  religious  persecution."  The  relation 
of  the  American  missionary  to  Chinese  lawsuits  is  thus 
clearly  defined  by  our  government  and  the  instructions 
ought  to  be  satisfactory  to  every  American  missionary  in 
China  who  seeks  qualitative  rather  than  quantitative  suc- 
cesses. Let  the  French  run  semi-magistrate  offices  if 
they  desire,  American  missionaries  cannot  afford  so  to 
waste  their  time. 

But  in  cases  of  genuine  persecution  of  Chinese  Chris- 
tians what  shall  the  missionary  do  ?  Is  it  his  duty  to 
protect  the  lives  and  property  of  his  converts  ?  The 
native  Christian,  as  we  have  seen,  cannot  take  part  in  the 
rites  and  ceremonies  of  heathenism.  His  neighbours 
raise  the  question  whether  he  shall  be  allowed  to  live  in 
the  village.  If  he  refuses  to  worship  the  tablet  of  his 
ancestors  he  brings  upon  himself  many  trials  and  tribu- 
lations. The  missionary  in  China  has  reason  to  con- 
gratulate himself  on  being  permitted  to  see  the  steadfast- 
ness of  faith  of  the  Chinese  Christians.  They  are  the 
crown  of  his  rejoicing.  But  while  the  missionary  mar- 
vels at  the  grace  given  to  the  native  converts,  the  latter 
sometimes  suffer  greatly.  What  is  the  missionary  to  do  ? 
The  writer's  personal  experience  in  such  matters  has  been 
that  it  is  well  to  remember  that  the  native  Christians  are 
fighting  the  good  fight  of  faith,  and  for  that  reason  we 
should  not  be  too  ready  to  help  them  in  getting  redress 
and  perhaps  revenge  upon  their  oppressors.  The  mis- 
sionary is  not  to  interfere  in  the  relations  between  the  in- 
dividual believer  and  his  Saviour.     The  native  Christians 


Political  Status  of  the  Missionary         173 

do  well  to  put  their  trust  in  the  first  place  in  God  and  not 
in  the  missionary.  There  is  a  habit  common  among  the 
Christians  of  bringing  every  petty  case  to  the  foreign 
missionary.  And  in  some  cases  the  Christians  do  not 
show  that  submissive  spirit  in  time  of  persecution  which 
our  Lord  and  Master  bids  them  show.  Perhaps  mis- 
sionaries are  as  much  to  blame  for  this  as  are  the  natives. 
When  the  foreigner  offers  his  aid  in  having  the  enemies 
of  Christians  punished,  it  is  teaching  the  Christians  a 
very  bad  lesson.  It  is  far  better  for  him  to  refuse  many 
times  before  he  gives  them  the  benefit  of  his  political 
influence.  I  would  not  be  willing  to  go  so  far  as  to  say 
that  the  foreign  missionary  should  never  come  to  the 
rescue  of  his  adherents  in  time  of  severe  persecution  that 
would  mean  death  to  many  men,  women  and  children, 
but  he  should  let  God's  plan  of  suffering  for  the  gospel's 
sake  have  its  sway  in  China,  and  only  when  the  very 
towns  and  villages  ring  with  the  outrage  committed 
against  the  Christians  and  utter  destruction  of  the  work 
seems  imminent,  should  the  missionary  render  aid.  He 
will  in  such  a  case  be  certain  that  he  has  not  injured  the 
persecutors  more  than  they  have  injured  the  Christians. 
Experience  teaches  that  if  he  only  urges  the  native  con- 
verts to  exercise  patience  and  forbearance  it  will  in 
many  cases  be  unnecessary  to  report  the  trouble  to  the 
officials  or  to  the  consul.  There  are,  however,  some  in- 
stances where  persecution  of  Christians  becomes  unen- 
durable because  of  the  very  fact  that  the  missionary  re- 
fuses to  come  to  the  aid  of  his  people.  The  good  will 
of  the  missionary  towards  all  men,  including  the  op- 
pressors of  Christians,  leads  the  evil-doers  to  misunder- 
stand him.  Although  the  continued  persecution  of  the 
Christians  has  the  effect  of  discouraging  the  new  hearers, 


174      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

yet  the  foreign  missionary  must  teach  in  China  to-day  as 
did  the  great  apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  "  that  we  must 
through  much  tribulation  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God."  Missionaries  preaching  this  to  the  multitudes 
may  not  have  tens  of  thousands  of  adherents  but  their 
work  will  be  all  the  more  substantial.  Chinese  do  not 
come  to  the  chapels  of  the  foreign  missionaries  to-day 
for  rice,  but  rather  for  pohtical  aid ;  and  the  missionary 
who  will  give  this  can  get  a  large  following.  But  it  will 
be  at  the  expense  of  his  reputation  as  a  man  seeking  the 
welfare  of  China.  The  best  minds  of  the  district  con- 
sider him  an  enemy  of  common  morahty,  and  I  think 
they  are  right. 

The  relations  between  the  foreign  missionary  and  the 
Chinese  magistrate  can  be  one  of  mutual  friendship  if 
the  former  refrains  from  urging  a  favourable  decision  in 
law  cases.  The  less  the  missionary  has  to  do  with  mag- 
istrates in  matters  of  litigation,  the  more  popular  will  he 
become  with  the  better  classes  of  the  country.  The 
magistrates  resent  (and  rightly  too,  as  it  seems  to  me) 
any  interference  in  their  courts  of  justice.  We  may  have 
an  utter  contempt  for  their  system  of  justice,  but  we  are 
not  called  to  China  to  interfere  in  the  application  of  their 
domestic  laws  to  their  own  citizens.  The  foreigner, 
whether  he  be  a  missionary  or  a  merchant  or  a  govern- 
ment official,  enjoys  many  privileges  by  the  courtesy  of 
the  Chinese  Government,  It  would  seem  that  the  civil- 
ized nations  ought  to  insist  that  no  foreigners  of  any 
nation  should  be  allowed  to  carry  out  a  policy  fraught 
with  danger  to  citizens  of  every  other  nation  and  ob- 
noxious to  China  herself.  We  are  entering  upon  a  great 
conflict  in  China.  The  old  conservative  forces  are  not 
dead    by   any   means.      The   political   struggle   in   the 


Political  Status  of  the  Missionary         175 

Chinese  Empire  will  be  between  the  conservatives  and 
the  reformers.  In  the  educational  sphere  there  will  be 
this  same  clash.  Men  who  stand  for  the  material  de- 
velopment of  their  own  country  will  be  confronted  with 
the  deadly  opposition  of  the  superstitions  and  fears  of 
the  disciples  of  '•  Fung  Shui."  In  rehgion  the  work  of 
the  foreign  missionary  has  made  itself  felt  throughout 
the  empire.  But  the  missionary  cannot  afford  to  be 
hampered  by  the  ill-will  and  distrust  of  a  large  part  of 
the  people,  due  to  interference  in  their  laws  of  justice. 

The  Relation  of  American  Missionaries    to   Their 

Consuls 
There  is  a  definite  understanding  between  the  Amer- 
ican consuls  and  the  American  missionaries.  The  latter 
are  instructed  to  keep  the  consul  informed  as  to  the  con- 
dition of  the  country  in  which  they  are  living.  Dis- 
turbances or  uprisings  against  foreigners  or  persecutions 
against  the  native  Christians,  constituting  a  violation  of 
the  treaties  made  with  the  United  States,  must  be  re- 
ported to  him  in  order  that  a  protest  may  be  lodged  with 
the  proper  Chinese  officials.  Americans  believe  that  the 
consuls  are  the  proper  persons  to  do  these  things  ;  some 
of  the  French  priests  carry  consular  seals  with  them  to 
attend  to  such  matters  themselves.  As  a  rule  American 
missionaries  have  a  prejudice  against  appealing  to  polit- 
ical authorities  regarding  mission  matters.  The  consuls 
in  South  China  have  as  a  rule  treated  the  missionaries 
justly,  though  I  am  sorry  to  add  that  we  have  not  always 
been  fortunate  in  having  representative  men  in  South 
China  and  the  report  of  one  of  our  government  officials 
to  the  foreign  department  regarding  some  of  our  consuls 
made  public  some  months  ago,  cannot  but  be  humiliat- 


176      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

ing  to  us  as  a  nation.  On  the  other  hand  we  have  reason 
to  be  proud  of  the  noble  record  of  the  ministers  who 
have  represented  our  government  at  Peking.  Almost 
without  exception  they  have  been  among  the  strongest 
men  of  the  diplomatic  corps  at  the  capital.  The  future 
policy  of  the  American  Government  in  order  to  be  true 
to  the  traditional  policy  of  the  past  must  be  along  the 
lines  which  have  been  made  clear  by  our  immortal  John 
Hay  in  his  support  of  the  Anglo-Japanese  AUiance. 
This  poHcy  will  insure  a  reasonable  and  safe  political 
status  for  Americans  in  the  Far  East. 


IX 

THE  SOCIAL  STATUS  OF  THE  MISSIONARY 
IN  CHINA 

The  foreign  missionary  just  arriving  at  some  city  in 
inland  China  cannot  expect  to  have  any  social  standing 
among  the  Chinese.  As  a  stranger  he  will  be  considered 
by  the  people  with  distrust,  and  many  will  refuse  to  rent 
their  houses  to  him  even  though  he  may  offer  a  sum 
several  times  larger  than  the  ordinary  price.  To  the 
Chinese  it  seems  a  discreditable  thing  to  leave  one's  native 
land  to  live  in  a  foreign  country.  The  motives  that  could 
have  led  the  missionary,  who  evidently  has  not  come  to 
China  to  make  money,  to  leave  his  fatherland  and  the 
tombs  of  his  ancestors  and  live  among  a  people  among 
whom  he  is  an  utter  stranger,  and  of  whose  language  he 
has  not  the  slightest  knowledge,  are  beyond  the  ken  of 
the  people  living  in  the  interior  and  must  therefore  be 
sinister. 

Though  many  of  the  Chinese  along  the  coast  emi- 
grate to  foreign  lands  it  must  be  remembered  that  they 
go  only  to  seek  riches  and  return  to  their  native  land  as 
soon  as  their  finances  will  allow.  They  take  it  for 
granted  that  this  is  so  with  emigrants  of  all  nations,  and 
individuals  who  come  to  Hve  in  a  strange  land  for  pur- 
poses other  than  seeking  wealth  need  careful  watching. 
Some  are  sure  that  the  foreign  missionary  is  an  agent  and 
spy  of  his  government  and  therefore  is  a  dangerous  man. 
This  is  still  a  very  prevalent  conception  in  the  minds  of 
the  Chinese  in  South  China  and  it  is  necessary  to  combat 

177 


lyS      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

it  again  and  again.  They  take  it  for  granted  that  mis- 
sionaries report  to  their  government  all  that  they  see. 
They  are  also  suspected  of  reporting  the  wealth  and 
prosperous  condition  of  the  country  to  their  home  gov- 
ernment. Many  of  the  people  of  the  author's  district  be- 
lieve to  this  day  that  he  is  sent  to  China  under  govern- 
ment appointment  and  that  he  receives  government  pay. 
Others  who  have  accepted  his  explanation  that  this  is  not 
so  still  hold  that  he  has  come  for  selfish  purposes  and  they 
maintain  that  in  some  way  the  missionary  will  enrich 
himself  at  their  expense.  I  have  frequently  been  asked 
how  deep  I  could  see  into  the  ground  and  whether  the 
hills  round  about  Kityang  contained  silver  and  gold  or 
some  other  treasure.  We  find  it  necessary  to  tell  them 
over  and  over  again  the  reasons  that  led  us  to  come  to 
them,  but  the  story  of  such  altruism  does  not  seem  to 
have  much  weight  with  them.  They  simply  do  not  be- 
lieve us.  They  will  admit  that  the  words  and  sentiments 
uttered  "  are  good  to  listen  to  "  and  immediately  ask  us 
whether  the  territory  of  Kityang  contained  anything  that 
could  produce  riches.  The  pagan  mind  cannot  under- 
stand the  spiritual  motives  and  ideals  of  the  missionary. 
On  one  occasion  I  heard  a  new  convert  admit  that  when 
he  heard  for  the  first  time  these  motives  that  led  the  mis- 
sionary to  come  to  Kityang  he  ridiculed  the  idea  with  the 
remark,  "  Where  in  all  the  wide  world  can  you  find  men 
willing  to  do  what  the  foreign  missionary  says  he  has 
done  ?  "  This  man  was  a  neighbour  of  ours.  He  had 
been  a  wine  distiller  for  many  years,  but  soon  after  his 
conversion  gave  up  the  distillery  and  went  into  another 
business.  He  admitted  that  he  often  watched  us  to  see  if 
we  did  not  go  out  during  the  night  to  make  excursions 
to  the  hills  seeking  hidden  treasures.     He  said  he  had 


Social  Status  of  the  Missionary  lyg 

harboured  this  distrust  against  the  foreigner  for  five  years 
and  only  after  he  had  watched  the  family  life  of  the 
foreigner  did  he  become  convinced  that  what  we  were 
preaching  was  true.  It  was  this,  too,  more  than  the 
words  that  we  preached  that  led  him  to  decide  to  become 
a  Christian.  He  became  a  zealous  student  of  the  Bible, 
though  before  his  conversion  he  was  unable  to  read  a 
line.  Within  a  few  months  he  was  able  to  read  the  en- 
tire New  Testament,  and  his  testimony  regarding  his  sal- 
vation in  Christ  had  all  the  more  effect  upon  his  former 
friends  because  they  knew  of  his  previous  hostile  attitude 
towards  the  foreign  missionary.  This  man's  experience 
is  an  illustration  of  the  victory  of  the  gospel.  It  is  a  great 
reward  to  the  missionary  to  watch  the  development  of 
these  spiritual  victories  and  to  observe  how  these  oppo- 
nents become  defenders  of  the  faith.  I  still  remember  the 
joyous  expression  on  his  face  as  he  would  report  to  me 
the  progress  made  in  leading  his  wife  and  children  to  be- 
come Christians.  So  well  did  he  succeed  that  within  a 
year  after  he  was  baptized  his  whole  family  also  put 
away  their  idols  and  became  Christians.  This  case  was  of 
importance  to  us  in  that  it  proved  that  the  most  hostile 
Chinese  could  be  won  the  same  as  those  in  Christian 
lands.  To  this  man  we  appeared  to  be  only  an  enemy 
of  his  own  and  his  country's  interests,  and  yet  we  became 
firm  friends  and  through  his  aid  were  able  to  buy  an  im- 
portant site  which  we  had  to  have  for  the  needs  of  our  ex- 
panding mission  interests.  But  in  winning  the  friendship 
of  the  Chinese  the  missionary  must  exercise  patience. 
All  things  will  come  to  him  if  he  respects  the  native  con- 
servatism. It  took  us  five  years  to  win  out  with  this  dis- 
tiller mentioned  above,  but  it  was  worth  all  the  trouble 
and  more. 


i8o      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

The  Foreign  Missionary  as  a  Teacher 
The  foreign  missionary  comes  to  the  Chinese  as  a  re- 
hgious  teacher.  In  Cnina,  however,  teaching  is  the  most 
honoured  profession,  and  by  reason  of  his  position  the 
teacher  enjoys  many  privileges  above  every  one  else,  pro- 
viding he  has  successfully  passed  the  government  civil 
service  examination.  This  has  been  the  case  from  the  re- 
motest times  of  Chinese  national  life  down  to  the  present 
day.  The  people  were  led  to  believe  that  their  teachers 
were  the  most  able  men  in  the  world  and  that  no  foreign 
nation  could  ever  produce  men  of  learning  and  polish  to 
compare  with  the  disciples  of  Confucius.  The  fact  that 
the  foreign  missionary  was  said  to  be  a  teacher  of  a 
Western  religion  amused  many  of  the  Chinese  in  former 
days.  But  during  the  past  decade  or  two  that  has  all 
changed.  It  is  now  known  and  universally  accepted  that 
the  foreign  missionary  represents  a  civilization  that  not 
only  is  more  powerful  but  also  more  enlightened  than 
their  own.  Our  arrival  at  Kityang  was  at  a  proper  psy- 
chological time.  China  had  just  been  defeated  by  Japan 
and  the  awful  truth  was  beginning  to  dawn  upon  the  slug- 
gish minds  of  the  Confucian  scholars  of  inland  China  that 
the  principles  and  methods  of  the  Western  world,  of 
which  Japan  had  been  a  diligent  scholar,  were  superior  to 
their  own  civilization.  We  of  the  West  cannot  appreciate 
what  this  rude  awakening  of  the  Chinese  literati  and  offi- 
cials from  a  stupid  dream  of  4,000  years'  duration  meant  to 
the  whole  nation.  Scholars  and  teachers  soon  sought  the 
friendship  of  the  missionary.  Except  in  the  treaty  ports 
he  was  the  only  foreigner  who  could  speak  their  language 
and  who  was  available  for  information.  It  would  cover 
pages  to  relate  the  story  of  how  the  Confucian  scholars 
would  gather  about  the  foreign  missionary  and  how  the 


Social  Status  of  the  Missionary  18 1 

most  exclusive  tried  to  become  our  closest  friends.  In 
order  to  show  their  appreciation  of  the  willingness  of  the 
foreigner  to  teach  them  about  the  principles  of  Western 
civilization,  and  of  his  placing  proper  books  at  their  dis- 
posal, the  gentry  of  Kityang  would  frequently  invite  him 
to  a  sumptuous  feast  with  the  special  request  that  he  would 
teach  them.  They  would  gather  together  in  companies 
of  about  eight  men  at  a  time  and  put  all  sorts  of  ques- 
tions to  their  guest  on  the  subjects  of  geography,  world 
politics,  astronomy,  rehgion  and  kindred  subjects. 
Oftentimes  an  hour  or  two  would  be  spent  discussing 
these  subjects  before  the  meal.  The  city  elders  and  the 
very  best  minds  in  the  city  would  invite  the  missionary 
to  their  homes  and  schools  that  he  might  tell  them  of 
things  relating  to  Western  learning.  International  ques- 
tions which  showed  that  they  were  thoughtful  in  their 
quest  of  learning  were  often  put  to  him.  Some  of  them 
were  as  follows  :  How  did  Japan  accomplish  her  refor- 
mation within  so  short  a  period  ?  Why  are  the  countries 
of  Germany  and  France  traditional  enemies  ?  What  is  it 
that  has  made  America  such  a  great  country  within  so 
short  a  time  ?  What  is  England's  aim  in  importing  opium 
into  China  from  India?  and  so  forth.  They  were  eager 
to  read  and  devour  every  book  they  could  obtain  which 
treated  of  Western  learning. 

For  a  time  the  missionary  felt  that  it  would  pay  him 
well  to  help  these  inquiring  minds  to  think  along  the 
right  lines  on  these  important  questions,  but  as  time  went 
on  the  number  of  inquirers  increased  so  that  the  larger 
part  of  his  time  was  taken  up  with  this  phase  of  work. 
He  felt  that  he  could  not  forsake  the  positive  preaching 
of  the  gospel  and  spend  this  critical  period  teaching  the 
rudiments  of  Western  learning.     And  yet  he  was  con- 


i8i      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

vinced  that  he  could  not  afford  to  ignore  this  tremendous 
awakening  and  perhaps  with  the  use  of  right  methods 
might  be  able  to  bring  much  of  it  into  captivity  to  our 
Lord  and  Master  Jesus  Christ.  After  much  contempla- 
tion and  consideration  of  the  situation  he  decided  to 
establish  a  public  circulating  library.  Fortunately  Chi- 
nese books  are  cheap.  A  suitable  building  was  leased 
and  for  a  time  much  good  was  accomplished.  The  in- 
terest was  so  intense  that  at  times  we  would  have  fifty  to 
one  hundred  scholars  and  merchants  at  our  evening  meet- 
ings in  our  schoolhouse.  The  missionary  also  taught  a 
class  of  some  fifteen  young  men  after  the  day's  work  in  the 
library  building.  Those  were  the  stirring  days  when  the 
young  Emperor  Kwang  Hsu  issued  proclamation  after 
proclamation  upon  advice  of  the  Cantonese  reformer 
Kang  Yu  Wei.  The  scholars  read  with  dismay  the  proc- 
lamations which  denounced  the  old  methods  and  which 
called  upon  all  the  literati  to  study  the  methods  of  the 
foreign  nations.  The  older  men  felt  that  their  chances  of 
further  promotion  were  over.  Officials  were  commanded 
to  inaugurate  methods  about  which  they  were  utterly 
ignorant ;  they  also  felt  that  the  future  promised  but  little 
prospect  for  them.  The  question  was  raised  by  many  of 
the  officials  and  scholars  where  all  these  sudden  changes 
would  bring  them.  To  the  foreigner  the  inconsiderate 
haste  with  which  these  proclamations  were  issued  were 
matters  of  great  concern.  Men  of  insight  foresaw  that 
there  must  be  a  crisis  approaching.  The  missionaries 
made  the  most  of  their  opportunity ;  the  truths  received, 
whether  scientific,  political  or  religious,  would  never  leave 
the  Chinese  in  the  same  helpless  position  as  before.  The 
famous  cotip  d'^etat  of  September,  1898,  speedily  checked 
the  reform  movement  which  had  swept  all  over  the  land. 


Social  Status  of  the  Missionary  183 

but  nothing  could  now  stamp  it  out  of  existence.  The 
truth  had  taken  root  in  thousands  of  hamlets  and  towns 
of  China,  and  though  caution  had  to  be  exercised  so  as 
not  to  defy  the  government  openly,  still  the  enlightened 
scholars  could  not  and  would  not  give  up  their  quest  for 
the  truth.  The  public  library  at  Kityang  was  no  longer 
visited  by  the  literati  for  fear  of  their  being  classed  with 
those  defying  the  will  of  the  conservative  government. 
The  missionary,  however,  was  welcomed  all  the  more  in 
private  circles  and  many  hours  were  spent  in  trying  to 
make  plain  the  forces  that  produced  the  fruit  of  our 
Western  civiHzation.  It  need  not  be  said  that  his  argu- 
ment for  a  true  reform  in  China  was  in  showing  the  neces- 
sity of  having  the  same  vital  force  which  Europe  pos- 
sessed in  working  out  the  results  of  her  civilization. 
Many  of  the  hterati  seemed  to  think  that  an  outward 
adaptation  to  the  foreigner  and  his  methods,  such  as  dress 
and  buying  of  foreign  goods,  would  be  all  that  was  needed. 
My  purpose  was  always  to  show  that  a  true  and  abiding 
reform  for  China  must  be  a  growth.  As  Chinese  are 
extremely  fond  of  illustrations  the  favourite  argument  used 
would  often  be  the  illustration  of  buying  fruit  and  tying 
it  to  a  tree  and  the  better  method  of  having  a  tree  planted 
in  their  own  garden  and  raising  their  own  fruit,  Chris- 
tianity is  that  plant.  Confucius  and  his  teaching  had 
given  China  a  certain  kind  of  fruit  which  is  to-day  found 
wanting.  China  needs  something  else,  and  the  real 
power  to  produce  this  is  nothing  less  than  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  The  time  spent  in  this  kind  of  instruction  was 
not  lost.  Several  members  of  the  best  families  in  and 
about  Kityang  became  Christians  and  desired  to  be  bap- 
tized. A  young  military  mandarin,  who  had  governed  a 
town  of  10,000  people,  was  baptized  and  has  now  entered 


184      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

a  national  military  school  to  become  a  leading  officer  in 
China's  new  army.  Another,  a  son  of  a  general,  asked 
to  be  baptized,  but  we  had  to  refuse  him  for  the  time 
being  until  he  could  induce  both  of  his  wives  to  become 
Christians  with  him.  This  is  usually  a  very  difficult  task 
and  proved  so  in  his  case.  A  number  of  Confucian 
scholars  were  baptized  and  have  become  teachers  and 
preachers  in  our  mission.  Many  of  the  scholars  and 
literati,  while  not  becoming  actual  church  members,  have 
practically  accepted  the  truths  of  Christ  and  are  waiting 
for  future  developments. 

The  Foreign  Missionary  as  a  Friend  of  the 
People 

It  can  readily  be  understood  that  this  intimate  relation 
of  the  foreign  missionary  with  the  officials  and  literati 
gives  him  vast  opportunities  for  doing  good.  The  very 
fact  that  the  strongest  and  brightest  men  of  the  city  were 
in  close  touch  with  us  gave  our  Christian  work  at  Kityang 
an  entrance  among  the  ordinary  people  that  left  nothing 
to  be  desired.  We  had  to  build  a  large  church  edifice 
at  the  central  station  holding  six  hundred  to  seven  hun- 
dred persons  and  on  special  occasions  the  building  would 
be  filled.  The  local  church  at  Kityang  has  now  a  mem- 
bership of  over  two  hundred  and  has  long  been  self-sup- 
porting. The  conviction  had  taken  hold  of  the  people 
that  the  foreign  missionary  was  a  friend  in  whom  they 
could  place  their  confidence.  When  the  city  was  stricken 
with  bubonic  plague  or  cholera  the  city  elders  would 
come  to  me  for  assistance  and  together  we  would  work 
out  certain  regulations  of  health  which  would  be  printed 
and  posted  in  all  parts  of  the  city.  The  regulations 
were  issued  by  authority  of  the  city  elders ;  it  would  have 


Social  Status  of  the  Missionary  185 

been  a  mistake  to  let  the  people  know  that  the  foreigner 
had  much  to  do  with  it.  When  at  a  certain  time  the 
bubonic  plague  became  very  severe  in  the  city  the  mis- 
sionary suggested  to  the  proper  authorities  that  measures 
adopted  in  time  for  the  prevention  of  the  plague  would 
be  far  better  than  fighting  the  scourge  after  it  had  once 
broken  out  in  all  sections  of  the  city.  His  suggestion  of 
a  systematic  street-cleaning  was  carried  out.  The  lead- 
ing magistrate  of  the  district  willingly  subscribed  a 
respectable  sum  towards  helping  defray  the  expenses  of 
the  undertaking.  Most  of  the  city  elders  and  many  of 
the  leading  merchants  did  the  same.  Others  mocked 
and  scoffed,  claiming  that  it  was  a  new  system  of  squeez- 
ing the  public.  The  responsibihty  of  the  undertaking 
was  placed  in  charge  of  an  ex-military  official,  a  Christian 
adherent,  who  possessed  considerable  influence.  His 
appointment  by  the  head  magistrate  to  this  office  pro- 
voked considerable  opposition  by  some  of  the  literati  and 
men  who  were  disappointed  in  their  expectation  and  who 
in  time  were  able  to  cause  much  trouble.  A  corps  of 
uniformed  young  lads  was  organized  and  for  several  years 
Kityang  was  free  from  every  form  of  plague  and  epidemic. 
Jealousy,  however,  made  it  necessary  to  place  another 
man  at  the  head  of  the  street-cleaning  department  and 
the  people,  distrusting  the  change,  refused  to  pay  any 
money  for  the  object.  The  magistrate  issued  a  statement 
that  he  would  control  the  matter  after  this  which  simply 
meant  that  nothing  would  be  done  in  the  matter  until 
some  private  individual  should  take  up  the  subject  again. 
This  will  not  be  done,  however,  until  another  plague 
visits  the  city  and  sweeps  hundreds  into  their  graves.  It 
is  a  difficult  matter  to  make  an  abiding  impression  upon 
a  people  like  the  Chinese  in  things  relating  to  health  pre- 


l86      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  In  China 

cautions.  When  the  crisis  is  present  the  people  will  come 
for  help  but  all  instruction  to  prevent  the  trouble  is  lost 
effort. 

The  oppressed  and  wronged  will  often  come  to  the 
missionary  and  pour  out  their  tale  of  woe  to  him.  By 
reason  of  extended  acquaintance  with  the  leading  men 
and  the  scholars  in  the  city  we  were  often  able  to  appeal 
to  a  scholar  who  would  perhaps  be  of  the  same  surname 
and  clan  as  the  oppressed  and  asked  that  he  arrange  the 
matter  according  to  Chinese  methods  of  settling  disputes. 
In  such  a  manner  I  found  that  much  suffering  could  be 
stopped  without  giving  our  mission  the  bad  reputation 
of  interfering  with  lawsuits  already  in  court  or  overawing 
the  local  magistrates  by  demanding  a  favourable  decision. 

During  the  Boxer  revolt  it  was  a  pleasure  to  the  mis- 
sionary to  aid  two  leading  scholars  who  had  gone  from 
Kityang  to  Peking  a  year  or  two  before  that  event  in 
order  to  seek  political  promotion.  It  needs  to  be  said 
in  advance  that  the  Boxers  in  northern  China  persecuted 
the  Cantonese  and  Swatow  Chinese  with  the  same  cruelty 
they  did  the  foreigners  and  the  native  Christians.  The 
Boxers  maintained  that  the  Chinese  of  South  China  were 
the  real  cause  of  the  foreigners  gaining  a  foothold  upon 
the  shores  of  China.  Their  merchants,  i.  e.,  the  Canton- 
ese, had  received  the  foreigner,  and  for  gain  allowed  him 
to  introduce  Western  goods,  and  so  forth.  Perhaps  there 
might  have  been  jealousy  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese  of 
the  north,  for  many  of  the  merchants  from  the  south  who 
go  north  to  trade  become  rich,  but  being  strangers  the 
Chinese  mobs  seek  such  people  out  as  victims  on  every 
occasion.  Be  that  as  it  may,  these  two  scholars  from 
Kityang  had  to  make  their  escape  from  Peking  as  soon 
as   the   Boxers   entered  the   imperial  city.     They   were 


Social  Status  of  the  Missionary  187 

unable  to  travel  southward  on  account  of  the  rapid  spread 
of  Boxerism  and  so  went  northward.  Their  funds  soon 
gave  out  and  from  a  place  of  hiding  in  a  small  city  north 
of  Peking  they  wrote  letters  to  their  relatives  and  friends 
at  Kityang  describing  their  dangerous  condition.  The 
local  magistrate  at  the  place  where  they  were  in  conceal- 
ment was  willing  to  protect  them,  but  on  account  of  the 
unsettled  condition  of  the  entire  country  he  was  unable 
to  say  how  long  his  power  would  last.  Happily  one  of 
these  letters  reached  Kityang.  As  these  two  men  were 
members  of  the  very  best  families  in  the  city  and  were 
recognized  as  the  best  scholars  of  Kityang  their  sad  con- 
dition caused  a  considerable  sensation.  The  city  elders 
took  upon  themselves  the  matter  of  rescuing  them. 
They  sent  a  deputation  to  Swatow  to  get  one  of  the 
principal  banks  to  telegraph  several  hundreds  of  dollars  to 
their  friends,  only  to  find  out  to  their  dismay  that  there 
were  no  telegraphic  connections  between  Peking  and 
Swatow.  The  only  telegraph  in  connection  with  Peking 
and  the  rest  of  the  world  at  that  time  was  the  German 
field  telegraph.  No  Swatow  bank  could  be  found  willing 
to  attempt  to  forward  money  into  North  China.  Peking 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  allied  armies  and  the 
Boxers  had  been  driven  northward,  which  seemed  to 
make  matters  all  the  more  dangerous  for  the  two  scholars. 
When  the  elders  returned  from  Swatow  they  came  to  the 
writer  asking  whether  he  could  do  anything  for  them  in 
this  crisis.  Fortunately  he  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
German  consul,  Mr.  Ivo  Streich,  a  most  able  official  and 
a  tower  of  strength  to  the  people  living  in  the  port  of 
Swatow  in  those  troublous  days.  I  offered  to  write  to 
the  consul  and  to  acquaint  him  with  the  facts  of  the  case 
and  suggested  that  two  of  the  elders  go  with  me  on  the 


l88      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

next  day  to  visit  the  consul  at  his  office  at  Swatow  and 
thus  have  the  opportunity  to  lay  the  matter  personally 
before  him.  It  was  done  as  suggested.  When  we  ar- 
rived at  the  consul's  office  the  following  day,  it  was  found 
to  our  great  relief  that  he  had  given  the  matter  consider- 
able thought  and  had  worked  out  two  plans.  To  make 
the  story  short  we  all  decided  that  the  plan  advised  by 
him  should  be  carried  out,  namely,  to  telegraph  to  a  per- 
sonal friend  of  his  who  held  a  leading  position  at  the 
German  legation  at  Peking,  teUing  of  the  condition  of 
the  two  scholars  and  asking  the  official  to  draw  several 
hundred  dollars  against  his  (the  consul's)  name  and  to 
send  soldiers  to  the  place  to  rescue  the  men.  The  plan 
worked  without  a  hitch.  The  men  were  placed  under  the 
protection  of  the  German  army  and  sent  to  the  coast, 
where  they  took  a  ship  for  Swatow.  The  joy  of  the 
entire  city  when  the  two  scholars  arrived  safe  and  well 
was  unbounded.  The  scholars  showed  their  appreciation 
of  the  German  consul  for  his  efforts  in  their  behalf. 
This  event  was  one  of  several  that  made  our  mission 
work  **  persona  grata  "  to  the  people  in  the  whole  district. 
On  another  occasion  I  was  able  through  the  aid  of  the 
American  consul  at  Fuchow,  Hon.  Mr.  Gracey,  to  have 
the  body  of  a  Kityang  magistrate,  who  died  from  bubonic 
plague  while  in  office,  sent  to  his  home,  a  small  town  in 
the  Kityang  district.  There  is  a  stringent  rule  that  no 
bodies  of  any  who  have  died  of  bubonic  plague  can  be 
sent  through  the  customs  until  a  certain  time  has  passed. 
When  the  first  refusal  came  the  relatives  were  afraid  that 
they  would  never  be  able  to  recover  the  corpse  of  the 
magistrate.  But  this  order  was  cancelled  after  a  short 
period.  The  people  always  showed  their  appreciation  of 
efforts  in  such  matters  and  would  always  reciprocate  in 


Social  Status  of  the  Missionary  189 

ways  which  showed  that  they  desired  to  be  known  as 
friends  of  the  foreign  missionary. 

One  or  two  cases  will  illustrate  this.  On  one  occasion 
the  Christians  in  the  town  of  Kau  Bue  were  severely 
persecuted.  Their  houses  were  destroyed,  their  crops 
ruined  and  all  of  the  Christians,  some  fifteen  in  all, 
beaten  and  driven  out  of  the  town.  The  parties  respon- 
sible for  this  outrage,  fearing  punishment,  united  with  the 
French  Catholic  mission  and  by  paying  a  certain  sum 
received  aid,  first  from  the  Chinese  priest,  and  later  also 
from  the  French  missionary.  The  magistrate  finally  was 
compelled  under  pressure  of  the  United  States  consul  to 
render  a  just  decision  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  French 
priest.  Word  was  passed  by  the  leaders  of  the  French 
mission  that  inasmuch  as  this  crime  had  been  so  obvious, 
nothing  could  be  done  in  the  matter  but  pay  the  fine 
imposed.  But  they  would  support  them  after  a  short 
time  in  any  attempt  to  take  their  revenge.  Our  people 
were  consequently  persecuted  without  end  and  life  made 
a  burden  to  them.  One  of  the  leading  persecutors,  who 
had  been  looking  for  some  stronger  support  for  years,  had 
upon  one  occasion,  when  a  certain  city  scholar  attained 
his  second  literary  degree,  given  his  marriageable  daugh- 
ter to  this  scholar  to  be  his  second  wife.  This  had  hap- 
pened before  we  arrived  at  Kityang.  The  reason  for  this 
action  was  this  :  should  he  ever  get  into  trouble  or  in- 
volved in  a  lawsuit,  his  son-in-law,  being  one  of  the  fore- 
most men  of  the  city,  by  virtue  of  holding  an  exalted 
literary  degree  entitled  to  consult  the  local  magistrate, 
would  see  to  it  that  no  harm  would  come  to  him.  This 
assurance  made  the  man  bold  to  the  extreme  in  all  mat- 
ters relating  to  his  town,  and  taking  a  radical  dislike 
towards  the  Christians,  he  determined  to  drive  them  from 


igo      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

their  homes.  In  the  course  of  time,  however,  we  became 
very  intimate  with  the  scholar,  his  son-in-law,  and  on  one 
occasion  were  able  to  do  him  a  favour  which  he  never 
forgot.  When  we  saw  that  nothing,  not  even  the  influ- 
ence of  the  magistrate,  could  bring  relief  to  our  Chris- 
tians, I  went  to  the  son-in-law  and  laid  the  whole  matter 
before  him  and  asked  him  to  investigate  the  case  and  if 
he  found  that  the  Christians  were  in  the  wrong  to  let  me 
know  and  if  the  fault  was  with  his  father-in-law,  as  we 
sincerely  beheved  it  was,  to  bring  pressure  upon  him  to 
cease,  and  as  far  as  we  were  concerned  the  entire  matter 
would  be  dropped  and  forgotten.  The  scholar  did  make 
the  investigation  and  talked  very  seriously  to  the  old  man 
about  it.  To  our  utter  astonishment  a  fierce  attack  was 
made  upon  the  Christians  that  same  night.  The  next 
day  we  called  the  plight  of  the  Christians  to  the  attention 
of  the  scholar.  The  latter,  having  convinced  himself  of 
the  truth  of  our  statement,  went  to  his  father-in-law  with 
the  ultimatum  that  either  the  persecutions  against  the 
Christians  must  cease  or  he  would  return  to  him  his 
daughter  at  once.  There  was  no  trouble  after  that.  The 
case  was  closed. 

During  the  later  period  of  the  Boxer  troubles  a  mob  of 
young  men  came  into  our  mission  enclosure  and  began 
to  make  a  disturbance.  They  called  upon  the  coolie  to 
leave  the  employ  of  the  foreigner,  and  said  they  were  go- 
ing to  convert  the  mission  buildings  into  opium  halls,  and 
so  forth.  The  coolie  was  punished  very  badly  and  going 
out  on  the  veranda  to  see  what  the  noise  was  all  about  I 
was  surprised  to  see  the  big  crowd  in  our  grounds.  I 
heard  them  hoot  and  call  the  missionary  wicked  names. 
A  glance  showed  that  they  were  rowdies  and  that  they 
had  come  to  make  mischief.     As  they  came  on  towards 


Social  Status  of  the  Missionary  191 

the  entrance  of  the  house,  in  order  to  check  them  and 
possibly  to  frighten  them  away  I  took  a  revolver  and 
going  out  on  the  veranda  shot  several  cartridges  in  the 
direction  opposite  to  the  crowd.  Then  pointing  the 
weapon  at  them  called  on  them  to  leave  the  place  at 
once.  They  left  immediately,  not  a  man  remaining. 
The  city  elders  heard  of  this  invasion  of  the  mob  element 
of  the  city  into  our  mission  grounds  and  at  once  called 
upon  me,  assuring  me  that  the  whole  affair  would  be  ad- 
justed to  my  satisfaction,  and  that  they  could  not  afford 
to  allow  the  matter  to  be  ignored.  While  we  were  yet 
speaking  an  old  man  of  seventy  or  more  years  came  in 
crying  and  fell  on  his  knees.  I  did  not  know  the  man, 
but  was  told  that  he  was  the  father  of  the  young  man 
who  led  the  mob  into  our  place.  Lifting  the  old  man  up 
I  assured  him  that  I  had  no  ill  feeling  against  him,  but 
the  elders  talked  to  him  in  a  different  strain  and  de- 
manded that  the  son  and  three  other  leaders  appear  the 
next  morning  to  confess  their  wrong  before  the  foreign 
missionary  or  his  whole  family  would  be  thrown  into 
prison.  The  next  morning  several  of  the  young  men 
came  into  my  study.  Two  of  them  I  recognized  as 
among  the  leaders  of  the  mob.  Two  city  elders  and  the 
father  of  one  of  the  leaders  were  also  present,  the  latter 
with  a  whip  in  his  hands.  The  young  men  fell  upon 
their  knees  begging  forgiveness,  but  I  made  them  arise 
at  once.  As  they  arose  the  old  man  laid  the  whip  upon 
their  backs.  It  seemed  as  if  the  strength  of  the  old  man 
was  not  sufficient,  for  one  of  the  vigorous  city  elders 
snatched  the  whip  out  of  his  hands  and  began  to  lay 
heavy  blows  upon  the  young  fellows,  making  them  cry 
out  for  pain.  I  made  them  desist,  refusing  to  allow  this  to 
go  on  in  our  house.     The  men  received  some  very  sharp 


192      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

rebukes  from  the  city  elders  while  I  gave  them  a  number 
of  tracts  and  books.  The  case  was  thus  closed.  The 
same  young  men  after  this,  whenever  they  met  me  in  the 
city,  always  greeted  me  in  a  friendly  manner  as  their 
teacher. 

I  have  mentioned  these  instances  only  to  show  that  the 
foreign  missionary,  though  a  stranger  among  so  distrust- 
ful a  race,  can  make  a  place  for  himself  among  the 
people  where  he  Hves,  and  that  his  social  status  among 
the  Chinese  can  be  in  time  the  most  pleasant  imaginable. 
It  has  been  the  author's  experience  that  the  more  he  had 
learned  about  the  inner  life  of  the  Chinese  people  the 
more  he  was  led  to  love  and  respect  them. 


THE  FAMILY  LIFE  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  IN  CHINA 

The  stability  of  Chinese  civilization  had  its  origin  and 
has  found  its  continued  sustenance  for  over  a  hundred 
generations  in  the  institution  of  the  family.     Nothing  is 
so  jealously  guarded  by  them  as  the  traditional  functions 
and  rights  of  the  family.     The  government  of  the  nation, 
pubHc  education,  the  crying  needs  of  reform  and  other 
national  questions,  however  important,  are  all  subordinate 
and  insignificant  in  comparison.     The  patriarchal  system 
still  holds  sway  as  it  did  centuries  before  the  birth  of 
Abraham.     To   have   a   wife   and   children    are    requi- 
sites  to  respectability,    and  in  China  it  is   an  insult  to 
ask  a  man  whether  or  not  he  is  married  and  whether  he 
has  any  children.     That  is  all  taken  for  granted,  as  much 
as  we  in  America  take  it  for  granted  that  a  respectable 
man  sleeps  in  his  bed  at  night  and  not  on  the  street. 
The  proper  question  to  put  to  a  Chinese  regarding  these 
matters  is  to  ask  him  how  many  sons  he  possesses,  and 
the  mutual  joy  and  congratulations  to  the  father  will  be 
just  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  his  sons.     Unfortu- 
nately for  China  daughters  are  not  recognized  as  a  per- 
manent  element   of  the   family.     In    South   China   the 
daughter  is  frequently  called  "  the  run  away  child  "  and 
the  boy  "  the  abiding  child."     Daughters  do  not  share  in 
the  estate  of  their  parents  nor  is    the  daughter-in-law 
allowed  to  exert  much  of  an  influence  in  the  family  into 
which  she  has  married.     Chinese  family  life  suffers  an 
unspeakable  loss  by  being  deprived  of  the  wholesome  in- 

193 


194      'l'^^  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

fluence  which  the  wife,  mother  and  daughters  could  in- 
fuse into  it  if  allowed  to  exert  their  God-given  powers. 
It  is  taken  for  granted  that  the  parents  make  the  proper 
arrangements  for  the  marriage  of  their  daughters  at  the 
proper  time  and  there  are  very  few  instances  where 
parents  neglect  this  important  matter.  After  the  girl  is 
married  she  is  supposed  to  have  no  connection  with  the 
family  of  her  parents.  At  certain  periods  she  is  permit- 
ted to  make  a  visit  to  her  old  home  for  a  few  hours 
only.  Her  own  mother  is  not  expected  to  visit  her 
without  the  special  permission  of  the  mother-in-law. 
The  daughter-in-law  is  expected  to  conform  absolutely  to 
the  customs  of  her  new  home,  and  her  husband  cannot 
take  sides  with  his  wife  against  the  harsh  treatment  of  the 
mother-in-law  even  though  there  be  just  cause  to  do  so, 
without  being  guilty  of  the  serious  charge  of  unfilial 
piety.  A  young  married  couple  do  not  establish  a  home 
of  their  own  if  the  parents  are  still  living.  The  daughter- 
in-law  in  the  families  of  the  middle  and  poorer  classes 
becomes  the  servant  of  the  household.  Her  life  in  her 
new  home  will  be  pleasant  or  otherwise  according  to  the 
disposition  of  the  parents-in-law.  The  influence  of  the 
Chinese  woman  increases  as  she  grows  older  and  has 
daughters-in-law  of  her  own.  She  is  then  treated  with  a 
good  deal  of  consideration  and  respect,  but  in  most  cases 
her  training  has  been  along  such  hard  lines  that  all  the 
sweetness  of  life  has  vanished  and  her  highest  ideal  in  her 
small  world  is  to  govern  the  daughters-in-law  with  strict 
authority.  Having  been  made  to  eat  the  dust  in  her 
younger  days  she  now  develops  into  a  tyrant  in  her  nar- 
rowed sphere.  With  a  few  notable  exceptions  that  has 
been  the  history  of  Chinese  family  life  in  every  genera- 
tion for  the  past  four  thousand  years. 


Family  Life  of  the  Missionary  195 

The  Chinese  insist  upon  a  strict  family  life.  The 
breach  of  the  seventh  commandment  is  punished  in  some 
parts  by  cutting  off  the  ears  of  the  male  and  by  the  death 
or  expulsion  of  the  female.  Yet  home  life  is  anything 
but  ideal.  The  Chinese  women  have  not  developed  the 
sense  of  cleanliness  with  regard  to  their  household  duties. 
They  do  not  notice  filth  when  they  see  it.  Their  sense 
of  smell  is  blunted.  Excepting  the  few  wealthy  families, 
the  homes  of  the  Chinese  are  filthy  and  offensive  in  the 
extreme.  The  number  of  rooms  which  make  up  the 
home  of  the  average  peasant  is  seldom  more  than  two  or 
three,  and  thousands  of  famihes  live  in  a  single  room. 
Parents  and  children  often  sleep  in  one  bed,  while  an- 
other part  of  the  room  is  occupied  during  the  night  by 
the  huge  water-buffalo,  the  family  pig,  a  dog  and  a  num- 
ber of  fowl.  These  are  all  essentials  in  the  making  up  of 
a  happy  peasant  family  in  South  China. 

The  construction  of  the  Chinese  characters  expressing 
the  idea  of  home  Hfe  will  suggest  their  conceptions  and 
ideals.  The  written  character  denoting  "  the  home  "  or 
"  a  family  "  is  made  up  by  combining  the  two  written  char- 
acters signifying  "  roof"  and  "  swine."  To  have  the  swine 
under  roof  is  the  original  Chinese  idea  of  a  home  or  family. 
Their  word  signifying  "  rest "  is  made  up  by  combining 
the  symbols  representing  "  roof  "  and  "  woman."  It  may 
be  supposed  that  the  idea  is  that  if  the  woman  is  under 
the  roof  it  will  bring  "  rest "  to  the  whole  household. 
To  marry  a  husband  is  expressed  by  a  written  char- 
acter composed  of  "family,"  /.  ^.,  "  roof "  and  "swine," 
and  "  woman."  If  expressed  in  words  it  would  say 
that  to  become  a  wife  involves  the  duty  of  keeping  the 
swine  under  the  roof.  The  word  "  good  "  or  "  excellent  ** 
is  made  up  of  "  woman  "  and  "  child." 


196      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

When  the  foreign  missionary  arrives  at  a  place  in  the 
interior  of  China  and  estabUshes  his  home  among  the 
people,  he  at  once  becomes  the  object  of  critical  ob- 
servation. It  is  his  family  life  that  appeals  to  the  Chinese 
as  nothing  else  does.  They  will  doubt  his  message  and 
have  nothing  to  do  with  his  religion,  but  there  are  very 
few  of  the  neighbours  who  are  not  interested  in  the 
events  of  the  foreigner's  home  Hfe.  That  constitutes  the 
one  element  in  common  with  their  own  lives.  It  did  not 
take  us  long  before  we  noticed  this,  and  we  concluded 
that  perhaps  we  might  be  able  to  make  the  best  of  our 
opportunities  among  the  people  just  along  these  lines  for 
the  time  being,  until  the  people  understood  us  better. 
We  decided  that  every  Chinese  who  desired  to  pay  us  a 
visit  should  be  allowed  to  enter  our  home,  and  that  he  or 
she  would  be  made  to  feel  perfectly  welcome. 

The  "  Open  House  "  of  the  Missionary 
We  received  visitors  from  the  very  beginning  of  our 
residence  at  Kityang.  The  word  was  soon  passed  among 
the  people  that  all  were  welcome  and  that  our  home  was 
"  clean  to  death "  (the  Chinese  often  use  the  word 
*'  death  "  to  express  the  superlative).  Others,  Christians 
and  adherents,  said  our  little  home  of  three  rooms  was 
beautiful  and  desired  to  know  whether  heaven  would  be 
arranged  along  some  such  plan.  We  have  often  thought 
what  the  poor  people  would  say  if  they  could  see  some 
of  the  homes  of  our  well-to-do  American  Christians. 
Our  home  in  Kityang  has  less  comforts  in  many  ways 
than  that  which  an  ordinary  clerk  or  artisan  in  America 
would  demand  for  his  family.  On  special  occasions, 
such  as  Chinese  holidays,  many  of  the  people  who  live 
in  the  city  would  come  out  to  our  mission  to  spend  an 


Family  Life  of  the  Missionary  197 

afternoon  in  sight-seeing  and  converse  with  the  mission- 
aries.    The   crowds  that  came  were   generally  well-be- 
haved and  orderly.     As  we  obtained  a  stronger  foothold 
in  the  city  and  won  the  friendship  of  some  of  the  city 
elders  and  officials  we  began  the  plan  of  inviting  these 
men  of  influence  and  authority  to  a  social  meal  at  our 
home.     My  wife  would  of  course  be  at  her  regular  place 
and  do  the  honours  of  the  occasion.    The  idea  of  a  woman's 
sitting  at  a  table  with  men  was  something  entirely  new  to 
the  gentry  and  officials,  but  these  men  were  open-minded 
and  were  willing  to  learn  from  the  foreigner.     The  very 
first  gathering  of  this  kind  made  a  deep  impression  upon 
them.     Later  on,  several  of  the  gentry  confessed  to  me  that 
if  their  wives  were  as  intelligent  and  able  as  the  wives  of 
the  foreigners  they  would  also  have  brighter  and  better 
homes.     This  gave  me  the  opportunity  to  show  them 
that  the  fault  was  not  to  be  found  with  the  poor  women 
but  rather  with  the  men  who  imposed  the  customs  of 
the  family  upon  them,  and  prevented  them  from  exerting 
their  proper  influence   in   private   and  social  life.     We 
cannot  look  for  immediate  results  along  these  lines  in 
China ;  there  must  be  a  gradual  enlightenment  and  process 
of  instruction  before  the  people  will  be  willing  to  change 
their  customs.     We   do   know,  however,  that   the   ex- 
ample of  home  life  and  the  teachings  of  the  gospel  have 
proved  a  great  blessing  in  hundreds  of  homes,  and  that 
the  lives  of  many  women  have  become  richer  and  more 
cheerful.     The  fact  is,  China  can  never  reach  its  true 
height  and  develop  into  a  real  strong  moral  nation  until 
the  Chinese  women  shall  take  their  proper  place  in  the 
family,  society  and  nation. 

The   officials   and  city  elders  would  reciprocate  these 
little  social  functions.     The  missionary  would  frequently 


igS      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

be  invited  to  their  homes  to  a  feast ;  of  course  only  men 
would  be  present.  The  wives  of  the  gentry,  however, 
would  frequently  ask  my  wife  to  visit  them  and  some 
would  also  come  to  our  home  on  special  occasions.  Out 
of  regard  to  the  social  customs  of  the  Chinese  women 
the  missionary  would  always  be  absent  from  home  when 
they  came,  either  preaching  in  the  villages  or  perhaps 
visiting  in  the  city.  During  late  years  more  women 
have  come  to  pay  a  social  visit  at  our  home  than  men. 
This  may  be  due  partly  to  the  fact  that  the  gradual  de- 
velopment of  our  field  made  it  necessary  for  the  mission- 
ary to  be  absent  much,  whereas  his  wife  was  always  at 
home  with  the  children.  Christian  women  passing 
through  Kityang  would  be  sure  to  call  and  greet  her. 
The  object  lesson  of  the  cleanliness  and  order  of  the 
household  would  have  its  visible  effect  in  their  humble 
homes,  and  when  visiting  the  little  village  churches  and 
calling  at  the  homes  of  the  Christians  the  writer  would  fre- 
quently, if  the  case  warranted  it,  commend  the  cleanli- 
ness of  the  home.  Such  a  remark  on  part  of  the  mis- 
sionary has  been  known  to  have  been  remembered  by 
these  good  faithful  women  for  several  years.  "  Cleanli- 
ness is  next  to  godliness,"  and  oftentimes  it  is  noticeable 
how  the  homes  of  the  Christians  become  cleaner  as  they 
grow  into  a  deeper  spiritual  life. 

One  of  the  most  pleasant  of  the  social  receptions  at  the 
writer's  house  has  always  been  the  gathering  of  the 
preachers  and  evangelists.  Once  every  two  months  as 
the  Chinese  co-workers  came  to  the  central  station  for 
the  preachers'  institute  we  would  invite  them  to  our  home 
for  a  social  hour.  Simple  refreshments  would  be  served, 
but  these  faithful  workers  always  enjoyed  coming  and  we 
believe    much    good    was    accomplished    in   this    way. 


Family  Life  of  the  Missionary  199 

Preachers  and  evangelists  who  passed  through  Kityang 
would  always  come  to  our  house  even  though  there  were 
no   special   business   to   be  brought  up.     These  fellow 
workers  bear  the  burdens  of  the  great  fight  that  is  going 
on  in  China  to-day  and  they  deserve  every  word  of  com- 
fort and  help  we  can  give  them.     It  is  quite  certain  that 
if  a  foreign  missionary  could  but  equip  a  large  number  o 
Chinese  evangelists  and  preachers  for  the  great  work  that 
is  to  be  done  by  the  Chinese  themselves,  he  would  be 
doing  the  greatest  work  after  all.     These  men  can  and 
should  be  enriched  and  developed  along  the  social  side  as 
well  as  along  the  religious  and  moral  side  of  hfe. 

Unpleasant  Experiences  in  Having  an  "  Open 

House  " 
Almost  every  question  of  missionary  policy  has  its  two 
sides     The  policy  of  the  missionary's  having  an  "  open 
house"  for  all  who  desire  to  visit  him  has  some  draw- 
backs.   Apart  from  the  fact  that  he  will  be  constantly 
disturbed  in  the  pressing  work  which  he  may  have  m 
hand,  he  soon  learns  that  not  every  person  in  China  is  an 
honest  man.     He  will  be  surprised  to  find  that  after  en- 
tertaining certain  people  whom  he  thought  were  perfectly 
trustworthy  an  article  from  the  dining-room  or  something 
out  of  the  study  will  be  missing.     Thus  we  have  lost 
several  things  which  we  felt  we  could  not  bear  to  lose, 
and  though  we  offered  rewards  the  articles  were  never  re- 
turned to  us.     Yet  after  the  lapse  of  time,  we  are  con- 
vinced that  in  spite  of  this  danger  and  loss  incurred  the 
plan  of  having  one's  house  open  to  all  the  people  was 
correct  and  one  of  the  best  methods  of  overcoming  the 
prejudice  and  wicked  reports  about  the  missionaries  and 
their  work.     We  did,  however,  have  an  experience  during 


200      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

the  Boxer  troubles  that  gave  us  an  anxious  thought. 
The  missionary's  family,  because  of  the  unsettled  condi- 
tion of  China,  were  on  their  way  to  America,  and  the 
missionary  had  just  returned  from  Hongkong,  where  he  had 
seen  his  own  on  the  steamer  and  said  farewell.  His  faith- 
ful cook,  who  had  been  with  the  family  for  many  years, 
was  preparing  his  breakfast,  when  he  was  obliged  to  run 
out  to  buy  something.  On  his  return  he  served  the 
morning  rice.  With  the  very  first  mouthful  of  food  I  felt 
a  gritty  substance,  which  on  investigation  I  found  to  be  a 
small  piece  of  glass.  The  second  mouthful  of  rice  gave 
the  same  result  and  it  was  found  that  the  entire  dish  was 
saturated  with  fine  broken  and  ground  glass.  The  cook 
could  give  no  satisfactory  explanation.  He  was  a  faith- 
ful Christian,  a  man  who  had  proved  his  worth  and  trust 
over  and  over  again.  He  was  entirely  innocent,  but  to 
this  day  we  do  not  know  who  put  the  glass  in  the  rice  or 
what  the  motives  were  that  led  the  person  to  do  it.  It  is 
most  likely  that  some  one  entered  the  open  kitchen  dur- 
ing the  time  the  cook  had  gone  out  on  his  errand  and 
put  the  glass  in  the  pot  of  boiling  rice.  But  if  his 
motives  were  sinister  why  use  a  substance  that  could  be 
detected  so  easily  ?  The  Chinese  do  not  masticate  their 
food  carefully,  and  it  may  be  that  with  their  method  of 
gulping  things  down,  a  trifle  hke  a  small  piece  of  glass 
would  be  no  obstacle  in  the  aesophagus.  Still  the  event 
proved  the  value  of  masticating  food  before  swallowing, 
and  the  writer  chews  his  more  than  ever  since  that  morn- 
ing's experience. 

There  is  possibility  of  disease  being  brought  into  the 
house  of  the  missionary  by  the  people  at  certain  times  of 
the  year.  Measles,  chickenpox,  smallpox,  eye  diseases, 
bubonic  plague  and  many  other  diseases  are  often  rife 


Family  Life  of  the  Missionary  201 

among  the  people.  And  yet  it  is  an  established  fact  that 
the  foreigner  does  not  contract  a  disease  from  the  Chinese 
as  readily  as  from  his  own  people.  At  one  time  lepers 
lived  in  a  Httle  temple  just  outside  our  mission  gate.  The 
place  was  a  distinct  menace  to  the  health  of  the  family, 
inasmuch  as  the  mosquitoes  would  often  be  driven  from 
the  temple  to  our  house  by  a  strong  west  wind.  The 
writer  gave  the  magistrate  the  scientific  explanation  of  the 
way  the  malaria  germ  could  be  transmitted  to  the  human 
being  by  a  mosquito  and  also  explained  that  the  mosquitoes 
in  China  could  transmit  the  leprosy  germs  from  one 
human  being  to  another.  He  tried  to  show  him  that  he 
ought  to  prevent  any  possible  danger  of  such  contamina- 
tion wherever  it  existed.  This  explanation  was  written 
on  very  fine  paper  by  an  able  native  scholar  and  pre- 
sented to  the  magistrate.  It  need  not  be  added  that  it 
also  gave  him  a  hint  of  the  leper  temple  close  up  to  our 
mission  house.  The  mandarin,  ever  friendly  and  obliging, 
had  the  lepers  taken  away  from  the  temple  at  once  and 
before  sunset  the  doors  of  the  temple  w^ere  nailed  tight 
and  a  large  lock  placed  upon  them  in  order  to  prevent 
other  lepers  from  occupying  the  place.  It  is  doubtful  if 
without  the  translation  of  that  mosquito  theory  we  could 
ever  have  had  that  temple  closed. 

Another  unpleasant  circumstance  that  we  were  sub- 
jected to  by  permitting  the  Chinese  to  call  upon  us  at  any 
time  was  that  men  who  were  in  danger  of  being  arrested 
would  sometimes  come  into  our  house  to  escape  arrest  or 
to  give  the  yamen  runners  the  impression  that  they  stood 
on  good  terms  with  the  missionaries  and  that  therefore 
any  attempt  to  arrest  them  would  be  an  insult  to  the 
foreign  teacher.  At  one  time  an  adherent  from  another 
field  passed  through  Kityang  and  came  in  to  pay  us  a 


161      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

visit.  The  man  evidently  belonged  to  the  well-to-do  class 
of  merchants.  He  stayed  with  us  for  a  half  hour  or  more 
and  departed  evidently  in  good  spirits,  fearing  no  harm. 
What  was  our  surprise  to  learn  that  this  man  was  seized 
and  arrested  just  as  soon  as  he  came  out  of  our  mission 
gate.  He  was  cast  into  prison,  loaded  down  with  heavy 
chains,  and  several  hundreds  of  dollars  demanded  for  his 
release.  The  reason  for  his  arrest  was  as  follows  :  He 
lived  in  a  large  village  composed  of  a  single  clan.  Many 
of  the  people  of  this  village  had  neglected  to  pay  their 
annual  taxes  to  the  government.  The  underlings  of  the 
official  did  not  dare  go  to  the  village  to  demand  the  tax 
lest  they  be  mobbed.  So  they  awaited  their  opportunity, 
until  some  wealthy  member  of  the  clan  might  pass 
through  the  city.  When  this  man  came  to  Kityang  his 
arrival  was  at  once  reported  to  the  proper  authorities  and 
they  followed  him  expecting  to  arrest  him,  when  they 
saw  him  go  to  the  American  mission  to  call  wpon  the 
missionary.  They  waited,  however,  until  he  came  out  of 
the  house  and  then  laid  hands  on  him.  He  was  made  re- 
sponsible for  the  wrong  of  others  of  his  clan.  He  was 
wealthy  and  belonged  to  the  more  influential  part  of  the 
clan  and  was  now  held  until  the  taxes  should  be  paid,  and 
a  fine  thrice  as  large  as  the  original  tax  paid  to  the  un- 
derlings. The  man  appealed  to  us  to  help  him  out  of  his 
dilemma,  but  we  could  not  interfere  in  a  case  of  such  a 
nature.  The  tax  and  the  "  squeeze  "  were  paid  and  the 
man  was  released  the  next  day.  If  he  came  to  us  know- 
ing that  he  was  being  followed  by  the  yamen  runners,  he 
did  us  and  our  mission  a  great  injury ;  and  we  had  that 
message  carried  to  him.  The  fact  that  he  never  called 
upon  us  after  that  leads  us  to  suspect  that  he  was  guilty 
of  this  misuse  of  our  kindness. 


Family  Life  of  the  Missionary  203 

But  in  spite  of  some  of  these  unpleasant  experiences 
the  very  fact  that  we  made  no  distinction,  which  soon 
became  known  to  every  one,  disarmed  all  suspicion  and 
distrust  against  us  and  was  a  great  help  in  our  work. 
Our  experience  has  been  that  the  kindly  treatment  ac- 
corded to  all,  and  the  example  of  our  Christian  home, 
overcame  all  misconceptions  and  misgivings  regarding 
the  missionary  who  came  to  live  among  them.  Not  only 
that,  but  it  made  many  of  the  Chinese  friendly  towards 
us.  The  writer  once  met  a  man  in  a  village  about  ten 
miles  from  his  station  who  complained  that  when  he  tried 
at  one  time  to  come  into  our  house  he  was  told  by  some 
one,  perhaps  by  the  coolie,  that  he  could  not  come  in. 
He  spoke  as  though  a  great  wrong  had  been  done  to 
him.  I  told  him  in  the  presence  of  his  neighbours  that 
when  he  called  again  to  say  to  the  coolie  that  I  had 
asked  him  to  come ;  this  mollified  him.  Sometimes  the 
missionary  would  enter  a  village  to  preach  the  gospel 
thinking  that  he  was  an  entire  stranger  to  all  the  people, 
when  some  leading  man  would  come  forward  and  speak 
in  terms  of  close  acquaintance  and  friendship.  Later 
it  would  become  known  that  he  had  visited  the  mission 
house  for  curiosity's  sake  and  had  met  the  missionary 
and  conversed  with  him.  He  remembered  the  foreigner 
while  the  latter  lost  sight  of  him  among  the  many  other 
strangers  that  called.  It  is  not  necessary  to  state  that 
our  reception  in  such  a  village  was  always  more  cordial 
than  if  the  missionary  had  been  an  utter  stranger. 

Then  again,  at  this  very  time  when  China  is  looking 
about  to  learn  from  the  foreigner,  the  fact  that  we  re- 
ceive the  people  in  our  homes  acts  as  a  leaven  for  the 
spreading  of  Christian  principles.  We  know  of  one 
official  who  had  his  house  renovated  upon  principles  of 


204      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

our  own  mission  house,  allowing  fresh  air  and  light  to 
enter  the  building.  One  large  room  was  fitted  up  in 
regular,  approved  American  style.  He  bought  foreign 
furniture  and  household  articles  at  auction  in  Swatow, 
paying  in  some  instances  twice  the  sum  the  things  were 
worth,  and  has  since  then  entertained  foreign  merchants 
from  Swatow  and  government  officials  in  his  house.  An- 
other rich  merchant,  a  deacon  of  the  Kityang  church, 
has  built  a  three-storied  house  for  his  large  family.  It 
is  the  highest  building  in  the  city  and  has  windows  on 
the  four  sides  of  the  house.  The  heathen  were  sure  that 
he  was  only  inviting  disaster  upon  himself  by  adopting 
such  dangerous  methods,  but  the  deacon  and  his  entire 
family  seem  to  thrive  well  on  fresh  air  and  sunlit  rooms. 
The  Chinese  method  of  building  will  need  revision  if  they 
are  to  imitate  the  foreigner  in  these  things.  At  the 
time  the  deacon  was  about  to  build  his  house  the  mis- 
sionary offered  to  aid  him  in  making  a  plan  which  the 
builders  should  follow  minutely.  The  deacon,  however, 
thought  that  such  previous  work  would  be  unnecessary, 
and  that  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  put  up  a  three- 
storied  building.  He  remarked,  "  Teacher,  we  will  de- 
velop our  plans  as  the  walls  go  up."  The  teacher  said 
nothing,  but  was  curious  to  see  how  they  would  come 
out.  The  windows  were  placed  as  the  walls  went  up 
and  when  the  time  came  to  put  in  the  beams  for  the 
flooring  for  the  middle  and  upper  stories,  which  was 
done  after  all  the  walls  were  completed,  it  was  found  that 
one  or  more  of  the  windows  would  be  cut  in  two  by 
these  divisions,  one-half  of  the  window  being  in  the 
second  story  and  the  other  half  in  the  third  story.  But 
that  did  not  seem  to  trouble  either  the  contractor  or  the 


Family  Life  of  the  Missionary  205 

owner  of  the   building.      The  windows  remain  in  this 
manner  to  the  present  time. 

It  is  not  only  in  material  things,  however,  that  the  in- 
fluence of  the  missionary's  home  Hfe  is  making  itself 
felt.  By  seeing  practical  Christianity  in  the  home  they 
begin  to  understand  the  real  meaning  of  some  of  their 
beautiful  moral  maxims  which  have  lost  their  original 
meaning,  if  they  ever  did  convey  to  the  minds  a  mean- 
ing as  full  as  Christianity  brings  into  the  individual  life. 
Many  of  the  beautiful  ideas  of  Confucius  are  finding 
their  fulfillment  in  the  gospel  of  Christ.  And  the  mis- 
sionary does  well  in  adopting  the  attitude  that  he  has 
come  not  to  destroy  the  ideals  and  moral  conceptions  of 
Confucius,  their  great  teacher,  but  rather  to  fulfill  them 
and  to  give  to  them  their  true  significance  and  worth. 
This  is  realized  in  Christian  life,  and  inasmuch  as  the 
Christian  religion  is  not  so  much  a  set  of  doctrines  and 
specific  teachings  as  a  life  applied  to  every-day  problems, 
the  writer  is  convinced  after  ten  years'  trial  that  the  open 
house  is  one  of  the  best  methods  of  bringing  men  and 
women  in  touch  with  the  divine  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 


Ill 

MISSIONARY  METHODS  IN  CHINA 


XI.  The  New  Testament  the  Model  for  Church 

Planting  and  Church  Training. 

XII.  Pioneer  Sowing  and  Planting. 

XIII.  Training   and    Development   of    the    Local 

Church. 

XIV.  The  Use  and  Misuse  of  Mission  Money. 

XV.  Opening  Mission  Stations  in  South  China. 

XVI.  Churches  and  Out-Stations  on  the  Kityang 

Field. 


XI 

THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  THE  MODEL  FOR  CHURCH 
PLANTING  AND  CHURCH  TRAINING 

The  foreign  missionary  cannot  carry  on  his  missionary 
activities  as  did  the  apostles  of  old,  even  though  he  de- 
sire to  do  so.  Times  have  changed,  the  old  forms  of 
civilization  have  passed  away,  and  the  countries  in  which 
Christ's  ambassadors  labour  differ  widely.  Nor  is  mere 
imitation  desirable  in  this  divine  work.  Each  country 
and  nation  has  its  peculiar  difficulties  and  problems  and 
these  can  be  met  only  with  present  day  resources  and 
wisdom.  And  yet,  in  a  larger  sense,  the  study  of  the 
apostolic  method  of  church  planting  and  church  training 
ought  to  be  helpful  to  every  missionary.  After  all  there 
are  many  incidents  in  the  work  of  establishing  the  king- 
dom of  God  on  heathen  soil  that  are  analogous  to  the 
experiences  of  the  apostles,  and  the  idea  of  studying 
their  methods,  either  for  imitation  or  for  contrast,  cannot 
but  be  helpful  to  every  one  interested  in  the  progress  of 
the  gospel  among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

A  Review  of  Some  Methods  Employed  by  the 
Apostles  in  Church  Planting 
We  are  confronted  at  the  outset  with  the  fact  that  the 
men  who  undertook  the  work  of  preaching  the  gospel 
outside  of  the  boundaries  of  the  Holy  Land  were  men 
qualified  and  equipped  for  that  responsible  work  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  They  were  men  who  had  been  active  in 
service  in  the  city  of  Antioch.     Had  they  not  been  of  a 

209 


210      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

warm  evangelical  spirit  and  done  their  uttermost  to  win 
souls  in  that  heathen  city  the  Holy  Spirit  would  not  have 
called  them  to  the  larger  work.  The  same  principle  holds 
to-day,  in  that  a  young  man  or  woman  who  does  not 
delight  in  the  work  of  extending  the  kingdom  of  God  in 
his  or  her  own  city  and  country  will  hardly  be  the  right 
person  to  go  to  the  foreign  field.  It  seems  that  the 
church  at  Antioch  ordained  and  sent  the  two  missionaries, 
Barnabas  and  Saul,  to  do  the  work  to  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  had  called  them.  There  was  therefore  a  human  as 
well  as  a  divine  side  to  their  preparation.  When  the 
Holy  Spirit  called  them  for  this  special  work,  He  un- 
doubtedly also  bestowed  on  them  the  necessary  spiritual 
gifts  for  the  performance  of  that  work.  The  human  side 
of  their  preparation  consisted  in  active  missionary  work 
among  their  fellow  men  in  Antioch  on  the  one  hand,  and 
the  leading  of  a  devout  and  prayerful  Hfe  before  God  on 
the  other.  So  it  is  still  to-day  with  our  young  men  and 
women  who  are  looking  forward  to  the  foreign  field.  I 
would  not  limit  their  preparation  for  this  great  work  to 
prayer  and  fasting,  but  would  include  their  every-day 
desire  to  lead  some  one  to  Christ  Jesus. 

These  servants  of  God,  Barnabas  and  Paul,  were  intent 
on  preaching  the  gospel  to  such  as  seemed  nearest  to  the 
Kingdom.  •'  They  preached  the  word  of  God  in  the 
synagogues  of  the  Jews."  That  seemed  to  be  a  natural 
duty,  and  yet  they  had  to  learn  that  many  Gentiles  were 
far  more  prepared  to  receive  the  word  of  God  and  to 
enter  the  Kingdom  than  their  own  countrymen.  Still, 
they  were  open-minded ;  they  did  not  consider  themselves 
called  to  minister  exclusively  to  one  part  of  the  people  of 
any  country.  Their  message  was  unlimited  and  embraced 
all  men.     When  the  Jews  "  j udged  themselves  unworthy  of 


The  Model  for  Church  Training         2 1 1 

everlasting  life  "  they  turned  to  the  Gentiles.  Conditions 
in  China  to-day  are  different  from  those  existing  in  Asia 
Minor  during  the  apostolic  period,  and  yet  we  may  draw 
this  lesson  from  the  action  of  the  apostles :  that  no 
missionary  should  consider  himself  called  to  work  for  a 
special  class  to  the  exclusion  of  others,  who  may,  per- 
chance, be  more  willing  to  receive  the  Word.  It  is  a  very 
important  work  to  win  the  literati  and  officials  of  China 
for  Christ,  but  when  that  phase  of  work  would  exclude 
the  uneducated  and  the  common  people,  it  seems  to  me 
that  such  a  plan  of  missionary  endeavour  has  not  the 
proper  spirit  to  insure  its  permanent  existence,  and  that 
it  must  suffer  defeat  because  of  its  own  inherent  defects. 

The  Apostle  Paul  had  a  world-wide  conception  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  felt  that  he  owed  a  debt  to  every 
part.  He  travelled  from  place  to  place  preaching  Christ. 
Persecutions  and  threats  of  death  did  not  have  the  power 
to  prevent  him  from  carrying  out  his  aim  in  life.  Yet 
the  apostle  was  not  careless  regarding  dangers,  and  as  he 
was  able,  did  what  he  could  to  protect  his  life,  without 
surrendering  important  principles.  The  missionary  in 
China  at  the  present  time  needs  to  adopt  the  very  same 
methods  as  the  apostles.  Almost  every  missionary  living 
in  the  interior  will  be  in  danger  at  certain  times.  He 
should  not  be  an  alarmist,  taking  every  little  local  dis- 
turbance to  be  a"  world-wide  event."  The  native  Chris- 
tians have  a  right  to  expect  in  their  religious  teacher  an 
example  of  courage  and  poise  of  mind  in  times  when 
others  are  excited.  During  the  Boxer  revolt  some  mis- 
sionaries were  a  source  of  strength  in  South  China  by 
their  cool  and  courageous  action ;  others  were  constantly 
on  the  point  of  a  nervous  collapse  and  endangered  the 
critical  situation  not  a  little.     Missionaries  were  divided 


212      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  m  China 

into  two  classes  in  those  eventful  days.  There  were  the 
♦'  scoots  "  and  "  anti-scoots,"  /.  e.,  those  foreigners  who 
left  their  places  in  the  interior  and  sought  refuge  in 
Hongkong,  and  those  who  refused  to  leave  their  posts 
of  duty.  The  attitude  of  the  foreign  missionary  during 
this  crisis  was  reflected  in  the  little  Christian  congregations 
under  his  jurisdiction.  The  missionary  should  know  how 
to  make  even  times  of  distress  redound  to  the  welfare  of 
the  elect  of  God. 

The  Apostle  Paul  often  utilized  the  results  of  his  mis- 
sionary work  at  once.  He  often  received  new  converts 
for  baptism  immediately  after  their  conversion  to  the  new 
faith.  When  several  persons  became  believers  in  Christ 
in  one  locality,  they  were  called  a  church  and  usually  the 
responsibility  of  their  local  church  life  was  placed  upon 
them.  At  certain  times  the  apostle  would  send  special 
messengers  to  these  churches,  or  he  would  designate  one 
of  his  co-workers  to  remain  with  the  young  church  for  a 
short  period.  A  profitable  and  interesting  subject  for  the 
foreign  missionary's  study  is  the  nature  and  character  of 
spiritual  gifts  in  the  churches  established  by  the  Apostle 
Paul.  It  is  at  this  very  point  that  the  opinions  of  mis- 
sionaries differ  and  determine  their  attitude  towards 
the  young  Christian  congregations  on  their  fields. 
The  usual  view  is  that  these  congregations  or  local 
churches  are  unable  to  regulate  their  own  affairs  and 
must  have  the  guiding  hand  and  mind  of  the  skilled  mis- 
sionary until  they  have  attained  a  certain  growth,  when 
they  may  be  left  to  take  charge  of  their  own  destinies. 
This  view  naturally  appeals  to  the  conservative  and 
thoughtful  mind  and  an  error  is  detected  in  the  reasoning 
only  when  we  make  a  thorough  investigation  into  the 
facts  and  note  that  many  local  churches,  so  guided,  have 


The  Model  for  Church  Training         213 

taken  more  than  a  whole  generation  to  develop  into  self- 
supporting  and  self-directing  churches ;  and  that  the  step 
from  tutelage  to  self-direction  was  almost  as  abrupt  as  if 
it  had  taken  place  a  generation  before.  The  New  Testa- 
ment view  is  that  this  newly  created  organism,  the 
spiritual  body  of  Christ,  has  life  and  has  been  created  to 
work  and  to  accomplish  wonderful  things.  The  members 
of  that  body  should  be  respected  by  the  foreign  mis- 
sionary as  being  able  to  work  out  their  own  destiny.  It 
is  far  better  for  him  to  throw  upon  the  church  heavy  and 
great  responsibihties  from  the  very  beginning  than  to  be 
solving  all  their  local  problems  for  them.  The  chances 
are  that  they  could  solve  them  in  many  instances  quite  as 
well  as  the  missionary  himself. 

It  would  appear  from  a  reading  of  the  New  Testament 
that  the  money  was  a  secondary  matter  in  Paul's  mis- 
sionary career.  The  question  of  the  money  to  carry  on 
the  work  of  the  Church  was  not  allowed  to  appear  prom- 
inently in  the  word  of  God.  We  do  find  traces  that  the 
Apostle  Paul  received  aid  from  certain  churches  to  help 
him  in  his  work  and  also  that  he  refused  to  allow  a 
certain  other  church  to  have  a  share  in  this  matter.  The 
raising  of  sums  of  money  for  the  distressed  in  Judea  in 
the  time  of  famine  is  allowed  to  appear  more  prominently. 
Conditions  surrounding  the  foreign  missionary  in  countries 
of  Asia  and  Africa  are  entirely  different  from  those  which 
the  Apostle  Paul  met  when  he  went  to  Asia  Minor, 
Greece  or  Rome.  Paul  was  able  to  work  with  his  hands 
for  a  livelihood  when  in  Corinth,  but  it  would  be  simply 
impossible  for  a  foreign  missionary  to  open  a  shop  in 
central  China  and  earn  a  living  by  the  work  of  his  hands. 
The  sending  out  of  a  large  host  of  men  and  women  to  all 
parts  of  the  earth  naturally  makes  the  financial  problem 


214      Ihe  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

of  this  stupendous  work  more  prominent.  But  there  is 
nothing  dishonouring  in  urging  the  churches  to  have  a 
large  share  in  the  work.  Money  represents  the  toil  of 
man's  brain  and  hands,  and  when  the  Christian  gives  his 
money  for  the  cause  of  foreign  missions  he  gives  a  portion 
of  his  time  and  strength  to  this  greatest  work  committed 
to  men.  There  is  a  moral  dignity  in  uniting  in  this 
work — a  work  which  must  be  accomplished  ere  Christ 
can  fulfill  the  promise  of  His  second  coming.  We  must 
send  our  foreign  missionaries  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 
The  churches  must  raise  the  funds  to  send  them.  The 
subsidizing  of  the  native  churches  on  the  foreign  field, 
however,  from  one  generation  to  another,  is  quite  another 
matter.  It  is  a  large  subject  and  cannot  be  settled  with 
a  categorical  answer. 

The  Apostle  Paul  relied  simply  upon  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel  when  on  his  missionary  journeys.  To-day 
many  missionaries  make  much  use  of  philanthropy,  educa- 
tion, and  medical  treatment  to  attract  men  to  the  cross. 
The  Christ  preached  on  the  foreign  fields  to-day  is  a 
larger  Christ  than  the  one  preached  in  the  apostolic  age. 
We  have  in  addition  to  the  New  Testament  Christ  the 
Christ  of  the  past  eighteen  hundred  years.  In  the 
apostoHc  age  the  servants  of  God  emphasized  the  value 
of  persecution  for  conscience'  sake  as  a  means  of  grace 
more  than  the  missionaries  of  the  present  generation 
dare  attempt.  In  his  letters  to  the  churches,  the  Apostle 
provided  comfort  and  spiritual  sustenance  for  the  perse- 
cuted and  oppressed  Christians.  Persecutions  still  come 
to  men  and  women  who  take  upon  themselves  the  name 
of  Christ,  but  somehow  missionaries  do  not  always  feel 
that  it  is  a  matter  for  congratulation  and  joy.  Evidently 
many  have  lost  sight  of  the  real  blessing  that  would  surely 


The  Model  for  Church  Training         215 

be  enjoyed  by  the  oppressed  if  they  were  trained  in  the 
Christhke  spirit.  Missionaries  in  China,  in  this  period 
of  storm  and  stress,  ought  to  be  able  to  utihze  the  situa- 
tion for  the  upbuilding  of  the  Chinese  Church. 

The  simplicity  and  directness  of  the  gospel  message  of 
the  apostles  is  more  than  noteworthy.  The  fact  that  the 
Apostle  Paul  refused  to  make  much  use  of  the  learning 
and  philosophy  of  his  day  is  a  lesson  for  the  foreign  mis- 
sionary of  to-day.  Paul  was  "  determined  not  to  know 
anything  save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified."  It  has 
been  suggested  that  Paul  had  become  convinced  that  his 
speech  on  the  AcropoUs  in  Athens  did  not  accomplish  as 
much  as  the  plain  truths  respecting  the  cross  and  crown 
of  Christ  would  have  achieved.  There  is  danger  lest  we 
put  too  much  into  Paul's  statements  in  i  Corinthians  2  :  2. 
The  Apostle  was  not  a  narrow-minded  man.  Let  the 
foreign  missionary  recognize  the  good  and  the  virtue  and 
the  truth  existing  in  the  people  to  whom  he  has  come, 
trying  at  every  point  to  see  a  fulfillment  of  God's  purpose 
in  their  history  and  folklore  and  hterature.  The  writer 
believes  that  every  nation  has  been  prepared  by  God  for 
the  reception  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  much  as  he 
believes  that  God  selected  grace  to  be  the  medium 
through  which  this  salvation  should  be  made  possible  for 
all  nations.  It  will  not  be  a  difficult  task  for  foreign 
missionaries  to  find  distinct  traces  of  God's  dealings  with 
the  heathen  nations  in  order  that  they  may  be  better  pre- 
pared for  the  gospel  of  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  Thus 
the  best  in  Confucianism  will  find  its  fulfillment  in  Christ, 
and  some  truths  uttered  by  the  great  sage  of  China  will 
find  their  true  meaning  only  in  Christian  thought  and 
living. 

Paul  established  his  churches  in  the  strategic  cities  and 


2i6      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

centres  of  the  Roman  Empire.  These  churches  naturally 
became  the  centres  of  missionary  activity  throughout  the 
surrounding  country.  To-day,  when  the  conflict  of 
heathenism  and  Christianity  is  perhaps  fiercer  than  ever, 
we  need  to  study  closely  the  right  principle  upon  which 
to  carry  on  this  tremendous  struggle.  The  evangeliza- 
tion of  the  Chinese  Empire  presents  in  many  respects  to 
the  missionary  of  our  day  the  same  problems  as  the 
evangelization  of  the  Roman  Empire  did  to  the  Apostle 
Paul.  One  of  the  essentials  to  a  successful  and  influen- 
tial missionary  enterprise  is  that  the  missionary  make  his 
headquarters  at  the  best  strategic  centre  possible.  It  may 
not  be  always  possible  to  obtain  a  footing  in  the  most 
important  city  of  a  populous  territory  from  the  start,  nor, 
perchance,  can  missionary  work  in  a  certain  territory  be 
deferred  until  a  site  at  such  a  desirable  centre  be  obtained  ; 
but  plans  should  be  kept  in  mind  to  establish  the  head- 
quarters ultimately  at  the  principal  centre,  and  in  no  case 
should  missionary  societies  allow  their  missionaries  to  set- 
tle permanently  in  some  insignificant  town  or  isolated 
village.  The  missionary  societies  ought  to  become  wiser 
by  accumulated  experience,  and  ought  to  assist  mission- 
aries in  their  decisions.  While  there  is  no  gainsaying 
the  fact  that  a  good  work  can  be  accomplished  even  when 
the  headquarters  of  a  mission  are  established  in  a  small 
town,  yet  a  wise,  statesmanlike  policy  demands  that  cities 
in  certain  districts  which  have  developed  and  become 
government  and  commercial  centres,  must  in  time  be- 
come also  the  centres  of  religious  influence  and  power. 
This  policy  is  fortunately  being  observed  at  the  present 
time  more  than  in  the  past,  due,  no  doubt,  to  the  fact 
that  it  is  more  possible  to-day  to  occupy  larger  cities 
than  it  has  been  in  former  years. 


The  Model  for  Church  Training         217 

Is  it  proper  for  the  missionary  to  make  use  of  his 
political  rights  and  prerogatives  in  a  foreign  land  ?  We 
know  that  the  Apostle  Paul  made  use  of  his  rights  as  a 
Roman  citizen  when  it  helped  the  cause  of  the  gospel. 
There  is  much  nonsensical  talk,  at  the  present  time, 
respecting  the  receiving  by  missionaries  of  government 
protection  when  in  danger.  The  fact  is,  there  is  not  a 
single  country  in  all  Christendom  that  has  made  a  dis- 
paraging distinction  between  its  commercial  citizens  and 
missionary  citizens  in  foreign  lands.  Missionaries,  as 
citizens  of  the  United  States  of  America,  are  entitled  to 
the  same  rights  abroad  as  are  American  merchants, 
globe-trotters,  political  or  diplomatic  agents  of  our  gov- 
ernment. Our  authorities  at  Washington  will  never 
attempt  to  make  a  distinction.  A  citizen  is  always  to  be 
protected,  regardless  of  his  occupation,  so  long  as  the 
latter  is  not  unlawful.  Seeking  the  protection  of  the 
American  Government  over  the  lives  and  property  of 
Christian  converts  is  quite  another  problem.  But  even 
here  it  is  very  easy  for  those  unacquainted  with  the  facts 
to  give  a  biased  judgment.  One  of  the  great  burdens 
that  have  been  the  lot  of  the  writer  in  China  has 
been  to  observe  the  rankest  injustice  done  by  the  Chinese 
officials  upon  the  poor,  unoffending  non-Christian  people 
and  not  to  be  able  to  help  the  miserable  and  suffering 
victims.  At  this  period  in  the  transformation  of  China 
the  Christian  convert  has  much  persecution  to  endure. 
If  the  Chinese  Government  would  change  her  courts  of 
justice  so  that  equity  would  prevail,  and  grant  religious 
liberty  or  even  an  honest  toleration  of  Christianity,  it 
would  not  be  necessary  for  the  foreign  missionary  to  call 
the  attention  of  his  government  to  the  disregard  of  the 
treaties  made  by  China  and  the  United  States  in  respect  to 


2i8      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Christian  missions.  If  some  people  can  be  indifferent  to 
the  sufferings  of  unfortunate  women  and  children,  they 
ought  to  know  that  the  missionary  cannot  be  unmindful  of 
these  barbarities  and  that  he  is  constrained  to  seek  every 
lawful  means  of  saving  life  and  property.  There  is  of 
course  a  possibility  of  misusing  this  right  and  privilege, 
and  care  must  be  exercised  in  the  matter.  Foreign  mis- 
sionaries cannot  afford  to  allow  any  abuse  of  their  in- 
fluence. They  are  morally  bound  to  be  thoroughly  con- 
vinced as  to  the  justice  of  the  case  before  they  appeal  for 
aid  in  behalf  of  their  converts.  In  the  days  of  the 
Apostle  Paul,  men  were  not  attracted  to  the  Christian 
faith  from  any  other  motives  than  the  spiritual.  In 
China,  however,  there  are  to-day  many  motives  that 
might  induce  a  man  to  become  a  Christian  adherent,  any 
of  which  may  be  worldly. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  Christian  missions  it  has 
been  difficult  for  two  leaders  to  direct  helpers  and  to 
work  the  same  territory  together.  The  experience  of 
Barnabas  and  Paul  respecting  the  young  man  Mark  has 
taught  many  missionary  societies  the  wisdom  of  appoint- 
ing a  specific  field  and  sphere  of  work  to  each  man. 
The  best  organized  societies  have  found  it  expedient  to 
have  each  man  responsible  for  a  definite  field.  Ex- 
perience has  shown  that  in  this  way  harmony,  which  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  a  successful  work,  can  be  easily 
assured. 

Can  New  Testament  Precedents  be  Applied  on  the 

Foreign  Field  To-Day  ? 

Many  acts  of  the  Apostles  cannot  constitute  precedents 

for  us  to-day,  but  foreign  missionaries  can  carry  on  this 

divine  work  in  the  same  spirit  as  they.     The  Holy  Spirit 


The  Model  for  Church  Training         219 

has  not  abrogated  his  power  and  work,  and  our  present 
conquest  on  the  foreign  field  is  but  a  continuation  of  the 
campaign  begun  by  the  Apostles.  The  Holy  Spirit  still 
works  in  the  same  way  in  the  hearts  of  men.  The  Acts 
of  the  Apostles  affords  us  a  valuable  source  of  information 
and  in  some  respects  also  a  guide;  yet  the  ever-present 
Spirit  of  Christ  will  supplement  the  Scriptures  whenever 
the  ambassador  in  foreign  lands  needs  guidance. 

This   does    not  imply  that  the  missionary  of  to-day 
neglects  to  apply  the  methods  which  were  used  by  the 
Apostles.     In   addition   to  apostolic  methods   we  have 
added  others  that  in  a  measure  have  buried  the  simplicity 
of  the  apostolic  campaign.     Methods  of  missionary  ac- 
tivity have  changed  as  much  as  those  of  war.     There  is 
more  deliberation  and  preparation,  there  is  more  system 
and  combination  of  effort,  but  in  the  last  analysis  the 
same  aim  and  purpose  are  there.     Perhaps  many  of  the 
victories  of  modern  missions  are  achieved  i7i  spite  of  our 
splendid   systems   of  to-day.     The   real  essence   of  his 
work  appears  when  the  missionary  meets  the  individual 
native  in  some  lonely  place  in  China,  just  as  was  the 
case  when  the  Apostle  Paul  planted  the  faith  in  pagan 
Europe.     The  reahty  of  the  divine  work  when  a  burning 
soul  kindleth  another  soul,  is  still  the  same  in  spite  of  the 
glamour  and  system  of  missionary  organization  back  of 
the  burning  soul.     The  communication  of  the  w^ondrous 
message  of  Christ's  love  is  still  the  same  and  it  is  still  the 
work  of  the  Spirit  to  open  the  heart  of  the  soul  receiving 
the  message. 

He  who  reads  his  Bible  and  knows  also  something  of 
our  present  day  foreign  missionary  campaign  must  be 
impressed  with  the  closer  supervision  over  newly-estab- 
lished Christian   congregations  at  the  present  day  than 


220      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

was  the  custom  at  the  time  of  the  Apostles.  The  latter 
gathered  a  few  Christian  disciples  together  and  then  soon 
departed  in  order  to  go  elsewhere  and  preach  to  others, 
leaving  the  new  converts  with  an  elder  appointed  from 
among  their  own  number.  The  foreign  missionary  of 
to-day  would  not  dare  attempt  to  carry  out  such  a  pro- 
gram for  fear  of  evil  results.  Perhaps  certain  nations 
among  whom  missionaries  labour  at  the  present  time 
have  not  the  ability  that  the  people  had  among  whom 
the  Apostle  Paul  laboured  ;  but  the  Chinese  certainly  are 
not  inferior  to  any  of  them.  Why  do  we  not  let  them 
direct  their  own  church  affairs  ?  Is  a  close  foreign  super- 
vision necessary  for  their  spiritual  development  ?  It  is 
possible  that  less  ecclesiastical  red  tape  and  more  apos- 
tolic simplicity  would  be  conducive  to  the  growth  of  a 
very  strong  Chinese  church.  Perhaps  some  of  the  ofifi- 
cers  of  our  missionary  societies  would  not  be  able  to 
recognize  the  denominational  type,  but  that  would  be  a 
decided  gain  also  in  many  instances,  as  far  as  the  welfare 
of  Chinese  Christianity  is  concerned. 

Closely  connected  with  the  foregoing  is  the  use  of 
foreign  money.  Let  the  missionary  societies  refuse  to 
subsidize  the  local  churches  and  to  pay  the  salaries  of 
thousands  of  evangelists,  and  foreign  supervision  would 
soon  be  in  jeopardy.  Not  that  there  need  be  strife  and 
enmity  between  the  foreign  missionaries  and  the  native 
Christians,  but  the  Chinese  have  a  keen  sense  of  justice, 
and  with  them  it  is  a  common  axiom  of  life  that  if  a  man 
pays  for  a  thing  he  has  the  right  to  direct  and  control  it. 
It  is  also  a  law  in  the  kingdom  of  God  that  personal 
work  and  responsibility  create  a  strong  type  of  Christian 
character.  Is  it  possible,  then,  that  by  subsidizing  the 
Chinese  churches  we  are  defeating  the  very  ends  we  are 


The  Model  for  Church  Training         221 

trying  to  attain?     How  did  the  Apostle  Paul  make  use 
of  the  money  sent  to  him  for  his  work  ? 

Then  again,  there  is  the  office  of  the  foreign  mission- 
ary ;  is  it  a  permanent  one?     Hardly  that.     But  the  es- 
tablishment of  strong  Christian  institutions  all  over  China, 
built  with  foreign  money,   gives  the  impression  to  the 
Chinese  people  that  the  foreign  missionary  has  come  to 
stay  for  all  time.     It  is  essential  to  the  prosperity  of  these 
institutions  that  the  local  native  churches  become  deeply 
interested  in  them.     This  can  be  accomplished  only  by 
promoting  native  leaders  to  a  large  share  in  the  responsi- 
bilities of  such  institutions.     The  evangeUcal  spirit  of  the 
churches,  rather  than  intellectualism,  should  be  felt  m 
these  institutions.     This  would  involve  a  diminution  of 
foreign  control  in  the  whole  matter  of  our  Christian  in- 
stitutions, but  it  would  help  much  to  develop  the  native 
Church  and  to  make  it  strong  and  indigenous  and  inde- 
pendent,  so  that   even   the  greatest  enemy   of  foreign 
missionary  work  could  not  charge  the  native  church  with 
being  a  foreign  institution,  as  has  been  the  case  up  to  the 
present  time. 

Active  participation  in  foreign  missions  results  in  widen- 
ing the  conception  of  the  possibilities  of  the  Church  of 
God.  Christianity  as  conceived  in  Jerusalem  would  have 
been  an  impossible  rehgion  for  the  nations  of  the  world. 
It  was  necessary  to  counteract  this  provincialism  by  the 
strong  character  of  Paul,  supported  by  his  missionary  ex- 
periences. The  conference  regarding  the  status  of  Gen- 
tile Christians,  recorded  in  the  book  of  The  Acts  (15th 
chapter),  not  only  resulted  in  obtaining  soul  liberty  for  a 
certain  number  of  Christians;  it  made  the  rdigion  of 
Jesus  a  world  religion  and  thus  saved  its  life.  It  is  a 
thousand  pities  that  so  many  of  the  leaders  of  the  Church 


122      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

during  the  past  eighteen  centuries  have  failed  to  apply 
this  basic  principle  of  their  religion.  These  spiritual 
leaders  have  often  given  themselves  up  to  dreams  of 
political  ambition.  They  became  men  of  influence  in 
some  petty  kingdom  instead  of  taking  their  appointed 
places  as  leading  Hghts  in  the  world-wide  progress  of  the 
kingdom  of  God.  Some  became  provincialists  and  es- 
tablished a  state  church,  a  national  organization,  instead 
of  insisting  on  establishing  the  international  brotherhood 
of  the  Kingdom.  Then  there  was  also  the  selfishness  of 
scholasticism,  when  leaders  of  Christendom  gave  their 
entire  attention  to  theological  dogma  and  set  up  formulas 
and  creeds  for  other  Christians  to  accept,  instead  of  ex- 
pending their  God- given  powers  for  the  establishment  of 
the  gospel  in  heathen  lands.  But  since  the  Church 
finally  has  realized  her  duty  towards  the  heathen  world 
the  reflex  influence  upon  her  has  only  been  of  great  bene- 
fit. It  is  true  to-day  as  in  the  days  of  the  Apostle 
Paul,  that  the  doors  of  the  nations  opened  as  the  messen- 
gers were  preaching  the  word.  The  door  to  Europe 
opened  while  Paul  was  itinerating  in  Asia  Minor,  and  in 
our  own  time  one  country  after  another  has  been  opened 
for  the  gospel  message. 

The  Apostle's  Method  of  Church  Training 
The  Apostles  revisited  the  churches  they  had  estab- 
lished. We  read  that  the  Apostle  Paul  appointed  elders 
over  certain  churches  on  one  such  occasion.  No  doubt 
the  selection  of  the  men  appointed  was  made  at  the  re- 
quest and  approval  of  the  local  churches.  Many  years 
must  have  elapsed  ere  the  Apostle  was  able  to  visit  these 
churches  again,  and  it  may  rightly  be  doubted  if  he  ever 
did  visit  them  after  that.     These  facts  indicate  that  the 


The  Model  for  Church  Training         223 

Apostle  placed  confidence  in  the  ability  of  the  local 
churches  to  manage  their  own  affairs.  At  certain  impor- 
tant centres  he  established  his  headquarters  for  several 
years  at  a  time. 

The  Apostle  did  not  cut  off  his  relations  with  these 
churches,  but  as  opportunity  offered  corresponded  with 
them,  aiding  them  in  solving  difficult  problems,  comforting 
and  exhorting  them  in  their  faith  and  practice.  We  may 
take  it  for  granted  that  many  of  the  epistles  of  the  Apostle 
Paul  have  gone  astray.  His  daily  care  for  the  *'  churches 
that  are  in  Christ  Jesus,"  was  a  passion  of  his  hfe,  and  noth- 
ing brought  such  joy  to  his  heart  as  the  knowledge  that 
they  were  steadfast  in  faith.  The  foreign  missionary 
needs  to  be  a  true  shepherd,  ever  ready  to  aid  with  words 
and  deed  if  asked. 

In  matters  of  church  discipline  the  Apostle  held  that 
the  local  churches  were  able — or  ought  to  be  able — to  reg- 
ulate their  own  affairs.  Christians  ought  not  to  go  to 
law  against  one  another.  The  weakest  brother  ought  to 
have  sufficient  spiritual  gifts  to  act  as  arbiter  and  to  es- 
tablish peace  among  brethren.  Missionaries  in  China  do 
well  to  take  it  for  granted  that  the  weakest  Christian  can 
arbitrate  a  quarrel  among  his  own  people  better  than  the 
missionary  can.  Going  to  law  against  one  another  is  of 
course  frowned  upon  as  unchristian,  though  the  ever-pres- 
ent desire  of  the  Chinese  to  engage  in  litigation  often 
makes  it  an  impossibility. 

Paul  kept  the  churches  informed  as  to  his  travels 
from  place  to  place.  They  were  also  cognizant  of  his 
conflicts  and  trials.  The  great  Apostle  did  not  consider 
it  beneath  his  dignity  to  ask  for  the  prayers  of  the  little 
churches  for  himself  and  the  cause  he  represented.  Per- 
haps he  was  more  favourably  situated  than  the  average 


224      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

foreign  missionary  to-day.  The  white  and  yellow  races 
do  not  have  the  same  ideals  and  needs :  hence  it  is  per- 
haps more  difficult  to  establish  intimate  relations  between 
the  missionary  and  the  native  Christians.  And  yet  much 
can  be  accomplished.  The  love  of  Christ  can  do  wonders, 
and  it  is  nothing  less  than  miraculous  to  observe  the  love 
and  esteem  often  existing  between  the  foreign  teacher 
and  the  native  disciples. 

The  Apostles  gathered  about  them  young  men  who 
had  the  confidence  and  trust  of  the  church.  These  men 
became  efficient  co-labourers,  and  after  the  death  of  the 
Apostles  were  leaders  of  the  Christian  cause.  The  great- 
est work  of  the  foreign  missionary  is  to  gather  a  number 
of  select  men  and  to  train  them  in  the  active  work  of 
preaching  the  gospel,  that  they  may  become  the  shepherds 
of  the  flock. 

The  ministry  of  suffering  for  Christ's  sake  is  emphasized 
in  the  word  of  God  and  the  Apostle  Paul  made  much  use 
of  it  as  developing  spirituahty.  The  experience  of  the 
writer  has  been  that  a  certain  amount  of  persecution  has 
usually  been  found  beneficial  to  the  Chinese  Christians, 
but  when  the  torture  was  prolonged  it  often  excited  the 
passions,  not  only  of  the  persecuted  but  of  the  entire 
church.  Sometimes,  indeed,  the  Christians  would  become 
restless  at  the  quiet  demeanour  of  the  missionary  and 
would  urge  the  latter  to  get  the  Chinese  authorities  to 
punish  the  persecutors.  This  spirit  of  revenge  causes  the 
missionary  many  unhappy  days.  The  native  Christians 
note  the  indifference  and  heartlessness  of  their  govern- 
ment in  regard  to  the  sufferings  of  their  fellow  Christians, 
and  some  fall  into  a  chronic  dislike,  bordering  on  dis- 
loyalty, for  the  present  Manchurian  Dynasty.  But  the 
missionary  in  China  teaches,  in  season  and  out  of  season, 


The  Model  for  Church  Training         225 

that  it  is  their  duty  to  pray  for  their  government,  that 
God  may  direct  the  hearts  of  the  rulers  to  consider  the 
just  cause  of  the  Christians.  The  Chinese  Christians  have 
always  prayed  with  enthusiasm  for  the  present  emperor, 
Kwang  Hsu,  and  his  practical  retirement  from  active  par- 
ticipation in  the  affairs  of  the  government  several  years 
ago  filled  the  hearts  of  the  loyal  ones  with  dismay.  The 
Church  of  Christ  in  China  will  in  the  near  future  have  to 
undergo  many  of  the  experiences  which  the  apostolic 
church  had  to  endure  by  reasons  of  the  upheavals  and 
catastrophies  of  the  old  Roman  Empire. 


XII 

PIONEER  SOWING  AND  PLANTING 

The  arrival  of  the  foreign  missionary  in  a  new  district 
will  naturally  cause  a  sensation.  The  fame  of  the  for- 
eigner has  penetrated  the  interior  of  China,  but  many  of 
the  common  people  have  never  seen  one  of  them  even  up 
to  the  present  time.  The  people  are  usually  alarmed  at 
the  announcement  of  his  arrival  and  every  act  and  gesture 
is  keenly  observed  by  scores  and  even  by  hundreds  of 
people.  Tact  and  good  taste  on  the  part  of  the  foreign 
missionary,  however,  will  at  once  put  the  people  at  their 
ease  and  in  most  instances  they  are  eager  to  hear  some 
words  from  his  lips.  It  would  be  unwise  if  he  should 
begin  at  once  to  speak  on  religious  subjects.  Experi- 
enced missionaries  all  agree  that  the  best  way  to  win  over 
a  promiscuous  crowd  in  a  town  or  village  is  to  address 
one  of  the  oldest  men  present  and  to  inquire  as  to  his  age, 
followed  by  the  inquiry  as  to  the  number  of  his  grand- 
children. This  makes  an  opening.  By  the  time  you  have 
congratulated  him  on  the  fact  of  a  large  progeny,  as  in- 
variably is  the  case,  the  people  round  about  have  become 
sympathetic ;  for  they  feel  that  you  have  placed  yourself 
on  their  level  and  are  actuated  by  the  same  motives  as 
they.  Questions  will  soon  be  put  to  the  visitor,  and  the 
more  willing  he  is  to  talk  to  them  about  their  own  affairs 
the  more  he  has  prepared  his  hearers  for  the  important 
message  he  is  about  to  deliver.  A  set  speech  or  talk 
that  would  exclude  interruptions  is  unsuited.  It  is  best 
to  ask  questions  about  general  subjects,  viz.,  prospects  of 
crops,  trade,  and  so  forth. 

226 


Pioneer  Sowing  and  Planting  227 

The  missionary  who  can  enjoy  a  laugh  with  the  people 
and  yet  not  throw  away  his  dignity  as  a  teacher  has  won 
half  the  battle  of  gaining  a  willing  audience.  The  Chinese 
are  in  fact  the  most  teachable  race  on  earth.  The  foreign 
missionary  has  a  superabundance  of  material  with  which 
he  can  interest  people  for  hours  if  need  be.  He  may,  as 
American  missionaries  frequently  do,  interest  them  by 
describing  some  of  the  methods  of  our  western  farmers, 
which  naturally  sounds  to  them  like  fairy-tales.  It  is  but 
one  step  from  the  subject  of  crops  and  harvesting  to  the 
Final  Cause  of  all  these  things.  They  are  always  inter- 
ested in  the  story  of  the  creation,  of  the  giving  of  the  ten 
commandments,  and  the  Hfe  of  our  Saviour.  The  fact 
is  that  some  of  the  most  blessed  experiences  in  the  life 
of  the  missionary  come  in  preaching  the  truth  on  virgin 
soil.  The  results  are  sometimes  quite  surprising,  and 
often  he  finds  souls  who  have  been  waiting  for  the  salva- 
tion of  God,  and  are  quite  eager  to  accept  his  message. 

There  are  various  methods  of  evangelization  in  China. 
The  missionary  can  change  his  methods  quite  frequently, 
for  the  opportunities  for  evangelization  are  always  offer- 
ing themselves  in  China.  He  may  choose  to  go  to  the 
people,  and  in  a  new  district  this  method  may  be  the 
best,  in  order  that  he  may  know  thoroughly  the  field  on 
which  he  is  to  plan  and  direct  the  great  gospel  campaign. 
He  will  want  to  know  and  see  every  important  town  and 
village  in  his  field  and  note  the  different  dispositions  of 
these  places.  He  will  find  that  there  is  a  decided  differ- 
ence between  towns  in  receiving  the  foreigner  and  his 
message.  As  a  wuse  master-builder  he  will  establish  his 
Lord's  cause  in  places  where  the  "  least  resistance  "  was 
manifested.  It  is  almost  too  much  to  expect  a  hearty 
welcome  for  his  message  in  a  new  district,  except  it  be 


228     'The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

for  sinister  motives.  In  very  hostile  districts  missionaries 
have  found  it  necessary  to  remain  at  their  headquarters 
the  greater  part  of  their  time,  waiting  to  receive  and  in- 
struct those  v^ho  were  bold  enough  to  come.  A  preach- 
ing hall  on  the  main  thoroughfare  of  the  town  or  city  has 
always  been  found  a  profitable  method  of  disseminating 
the  truth.  The  moral  teachings  and  common  honesty 
of  the  Christian  religion  receives  the  concession  of  its 
reasonableness  even  in  the  most  hostile  districts.  The 
good  use  of  tracts  and  books  in  evangelistic  work  should 
not  be  overlooked.  The  printed  page  carries  with  it 
more  respect  and  reverence  in  China  than  perhaps  in  any 
other  part  of  the  globe.  The  evangelistic  work  in  our 
hospitals  can  be  made  a  great  blessing  if  efforts  are  made 
to  instruct  the  convalescent  in-patients,  rather  than  the 
crowds  at  the  dispensary,  though  this  work  need  not  be 
neglected. 

The  present  conditions  in  China  make  it  certain  that 
undesirable  and  unworthy  individuals  will  try  to  get  on 
friendly  terms  with  the  missionary.  If  these  men  came 
to  receive  religious  instruction,  no  objections  could  be 
offered  to  their  coming.  They  do  not  come  for  instruc- 
tion, however,  but  rather  to  obtain  the  aid  of  the  for- 
eigner in  their  bitter  contest  with  enemies.  These  men 
are,  as  a  rule,  not  frank  enough  to  confess  their  real 
motives.  As  a  rule  they  know  that  the  mere  fact  of 
their  attending  the  religious  services  at  the  missionary's 
headquarters  will  be  sufficient  to  frighten  the  enemies, 
who  in  ignorance  of  the  true  aim  of  evangelical  missions, 
confound  the  work  of  the  American  or  British  mission- 
ary with  that  of  the  French  priests.  It  has  already  been 
stated  that  the  latter  have  received  the  status  of  magis- 
trates and  that  they  make  much  use  of  their  consequent 


Pioneer  Sowing  and  Planting  229 

influence  at  the  yamens  or  courts  of  justice.  The  Chi- 
nese believe  that  all  foreign  missionaries  can  exert  an  in- 
fluence upon  the  officials ;  hence  those  who  are  in  dis- 
tress come  to  the  mission  headquarters,  hoping  that  they 
as  "  converts  "  will  also  receive  such  aid  as  will  be  found 
necessary  to  relieve  them  of  their  oppressors.  The  com- 
ing of  such  men  plays  havoc  with  the  best  interests  of 
Christian  missions.  Foreign  missionaries,  who  are  lay- 
ing foundations,  need  to  fortify  themselves  against  this 
serious  phase  of  the  work  more  than  against  any  other 
single  factor. 

Motives  of  the   Chinese  in   Inviting  a  Mission  to 
Their  Town 

It  is  no  easy  task  at  times  for  an  experienced  mission- 
ary to  decide  whether  to  accept  an  invitation  from  Chinese 
adherents  to  open  missionary  work  in  their  town  or  not. 
He  knows  from  experience  that  the  people  will  come  to 
him  from  motives  that  are  directly  opposed  to  the  gospel 
teachings. 

People  who  have  been  engaged  in  clan  fighting  among 
themselves  may,  because  of  impending  punishment  by 
government  officials,  seek  to  induce  the  missionary  to 
come  to  their  town  and  open  a  meeting  house.  They 
hope  that  their  presence,  in  large  numbers,  at  the  re- 
ligious meetings  will  so  impress  the  missionary  as  to  lead 
him  to  address  the  authorities  in  their  behalf,  and  they 
thus  may  escape  the  usual  consequences  of  their  wrong 
doing.  Christians  are  not  supposed  to  fight,  rob  and  kill, 
even  in  China,  and  the  fact  that  the  missionary  might  be 
induced  to  write  to  the  authorities,  claiming  to  have  a 
large  body  of  Christians  among  one  side  of  the  com- 
batants, might  not  only  relieve  them  from  threatening 


230      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

punishment  but  indirectly  put  the  blame  of  the  whole 
trouble  on  their  opponents.  But  the  Chinese  officials 
are  men  of  experience  ;  they  know  their  own  people,  and 
take  Httle  notice  of  the  claim  that  they  are  Christians, 
except  perhaps  when  they  maintain  that  they  have  united 
with  the  French  mission.  No  Chinese  magistrate,  if  he 
has  any  regard  for  his  future  official  career,  will  punish 
such  without  first  conferring  with  the  French  priest. 
Such  an  act  would  be  considered  an  outrage  and  would 
be  reported  to  the  bishop  at  once.  The  latter  would 
bring  pressure  upon  the  French  consul  and  Chinese  vice- 
roy. The  usual  result  of  such  incidents  for  a  number  of 
years  has  been  that  the  local  magistrate  received  a  repri- 
mand and  therewith  the  French  converts  were  vindicated. 
There  has  been  too  much  of  this  going  on  in  all  parts  of 
China.  It  is  cause  for  astonishment  that  the  Chinese 
Imperial  Government  has  tolerated  such  unwarranted 
interference  and  has  not  denounced  the  decree  which 
granted  to  the  French  priests  official  rank,  and  at  the 
same  time  forbade  any  foreigner  from  interfering  in  a  law- 
suit when  no  religious  principle  is  involved.  It  will  have 
to  come  to  this  sooner  or  later,  that  is  certain. 

Again,  some  become  adherents  when  a  clan  fight  is 
yet  only  prospective.  They  do  not  want  fighting  nor  do 
they  want  to  be  compelled  to  pay  towards  the  costs. 
They  know  from  bitter  experiences  the  cost  which  it  in- 
volves in  lives,  money,  suffering  and  time.  They  reason 
that  by  becoming  Christian  converts,  they  cannot  be 
compelled  to  fight  nor  to  pay  the  customary  tax  for  the 
raising  of  funds  necessary  to  carry  on  the  fight  for  clan 
supremacy.  They  know  also  that  at  the  end  of  the  con- 
flict, when  the  officers  arrive  to  punish  and  fine  the  par- 
ticipants, the  bona  fide  Christians,  those  that  can  prove 


Pioneer  Sowing  and  Planting  231 

that  they  were  Christians  ere  the  conflict  began,  will 
stand  a  good  chance  of  escaping  punishment.  These 
men,  then,  come  to  the  mission  headquarters  and  receive 
the  gospel  message  week  after  week.  Shall  the  mission- 
ary enroll  them  as  adherents  ?  These  people  may  live  a 
full  day's  journey  from  the  nearest  mission  station.  It 
will  involve  the  loss  of  three  days  every  time  they  come 
to  the  meeting.  Perhaps  they  will  ask  the  missionary  to 
open  a  meeting  house  at  their  village  or  town  and  to  send 
them  an  evangehst  to  be  their  leader.  They  may  also 
offer  to  pay  a  large  portion  of  his  salary.  What  shall  the 
missionary  do  ?  There  is  a  certain  amount  of  danger  in- 
volved in  sending  an  evangelist,  and  yet  to  refuse  every 
opening  of  such  a  nature  would  be  to  stultify  his  mis- 
sionary spirit. 

In  China,  "  Might  makes  Right,"  and  a  clan,  village, 
family  or  individual  that  is  weak  must  bear  the  double 
burden  of  sorrow  and  oppression.  It  is  only  natural  that 
such  a  clan  or  village  should  try  to  escape  from  under  the 
heel  of  its  stronger  neighbour.  Unfortunately  for  the 
purity  of  Christian  missions  the  Chinese  have  conceived 
the  idea  that  if  they,  during  the  period  of  their  subordi- 
nation, become  converts  of  the  missionary's  reHgion,  he 
in  return  could  not  well  refuse  them  such  aid  as  he  might 
be  able  to  offer  them ;  and  if  it  should  be  possible  to  turn 
tables  upon  their  oppressors — that  would  be  filling  their 
cup  of  joy.  Nothing  is  so  sweet  to  a  Chinese  as  a  strong 
and  lasting  revenge.  It  gives  him  "  face,"  and  that  is 
what  makes  life  worth  living.  Should  then  the  foreign 
missionary  open  a  mission  station  among  a  clan  that  is 
known  as  the  weakest  in  its  vicinity  ?  If  he  refuses  he 
perhaps  will  never  be  invited  to  come  into  that  district, 
for  the  stronger  clans  have  no  use  for  him.     The  strong 


232      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

and  mighty,  those  heartless  forces  in  China,  consider  the 
missionary  a  disturbing  factor ;  the  weak  unfortunately 
look  upon  him  with  the  hope  of  through  him  becoming 
strong,  rather  than  righteous. 

Cases  of  litigation  induce  more  Chinese  to  come  to  the 
mission  centres  than  any  other  single  reason.  The  fame 
of  the  success  of  the  French  missions  in  protecting  their 
converts  has  permeated  the  empire,  and  the  uninitiated 
do  not  discriminate  between  the  various  missions,  but 
suppose  that  they  have  all  been  established  for  their 
private  benefit  and  to  help  them  out  of  their  troubles 
should  they  deign  to  enter  the  mission  premises.  It 
would,  however,  be  unfair  to  give  the  impression  that  only 
the  French  priests  have  made  the  mistake  in  rendering 
aid  to  such  men.  Protestant  missionaries,  in  the  past, 
have  also  taken  up  cases.  Evangelical  missionaries  in 
China  ought  not  to  complain  if  the  Chinese  in  their  dis- 
trict have  not  yet  made  a  clear  distinction  between  the 
principles  governing  one  mission  and  those  governing 
another.  A  missionary  who  sets  his  face  as  flint  against 
lowering  his  ideals  of  missionary  work  to  the  plane  of  a 
court  of  justice  need  not  always  be  troubled  with  that 
class  of  men  who  come  not  for  spiritual  instruction  but 
simply  to  get  aid  to  help  them  out  of  a  trying  position. 

A  motive  with  which  the  foreign  missionary  may  have 
more  patience  and  yet  which  is  far  from  the  ideal,  is  that 
Christian  converts  can  get  along  more  comfortably  in  life 
than  those  worshipping  idols.  They  may  have  noticed 
that  the  Christians  do  not  pay  the  usual  heavy  taxes  con- 
nected with  idolatry.  Christians  can  even  dare  to  take 
over  haunted  fields,  plough  them  and  plant  rice  without 
any  harm  resulting.  They  are  known  to  live  more 
soberly  than  their  neighbours,  and  consequently,  instead 


Pioneer  Sowing  and  Planting  233 

of  being  in  a  poor  and  unpromising  condition,  seem  to 
be  well-to-do  and  happy.  The  Christians,  to  be  sure,  are 
not  loved  in  their  village,  but  the  poor  and  weak  families, 
though  heathen,  are  made  to  bite  the  dust  constantly  by 
the  stronger  elements  ;  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  the 
comparative  ease  and  comfort  of  the  Christians  when  the 
persecutions  cease  (as  they  do  in  the  course  of  time) 
should  be  an  object  lesson  to  them.  The  very  fact  that 
the  Christians  are  actually  and  positively  free  from  the 
fear  of  demons,  is  in  itself  a  miracle  and  always  causes 
surprise  and  wonder.  And  when  the  Christians  boldly 
proclaim  that  this  liberty  can  be  enjoyed  by  all,  the 
people  bound  captive  by  their  superstitions  can  hardly 
believe  that  the  message  is  for  them.  Some  are  bold 
enough  to  come  to  the  mission  from  just  such  a  motive. 
Truly  they  are  building  better  than  they  know ! 

Only  in  rare  instances  do  men  and  women  come  at 
first  from  a  purely  spiritual  motive.  It  does  happen  that 
some  who  have  wasted  long  and  dreary  years  with  the 
weariness  of  Buddhism  and  the  absurdities  of  Taoism  are 
still  longing  for  something  that  can  satisfy  the  soul. 
Such  people  accept  the  truths  almost  instantly,  and 
though  they  lack  the  fuller  teachings  of  the  gospel  they 
soon  obtain  a  saving  knowledge  of  Christ.  Old  though 
they  be,  the  transformation  of  such  in  life  and  habits  is 
most  remarkable. 

In  mentioning  the  various  motives  that  lead  the  Chi- 
nese to  seek  instruction  from  the  foreign  missionary  we 
must  not  forget  the  important  fact  that  in  many  instances 
the  people  come  with  mixed  motives.  The  clan  that 
has  been  fighting  with  its  neighbours  until  nearly  every 
family  has  suffered,  may  have  certain  people  in  its  midst 
who  not  only  long  for  better  physical  conditions  but  who 


^34      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

also  desire  more  spiritual  light.  One  or  another  may 
have  heard  the  foreign  missionary  preach  a  sermon  or 
talk  to  a  crowd  ;  the  message  found  lodgment  in  his  soul 
and  he  has  told  his  fellow  men  about  it  ever  since.  Then 
again  it  need  not  follow  that  because  the  clan  has  been 
fighting  with  its  neighbours  at  the  command  of  the 
elders  all  of  its  members  are  depraved  men,  delighting 
in  pillage,  plunder  and  murder.  The  results  of  sin  in 
China  as  in  every  other  country  are  often  self-corrective. 
Men  become  wise  through  suffering,  and  to  such  the 
message  of  peace,  love  and  eternal  life  is  indeed  a  wel- 
come one,  as  every  foreign  missionary  of  experience  in 
China  has  seen. 

The  foreign  missionary  must  decide  each  case  on 
its  own  merits,  whether  he  will  accept  an  invitation 
to  open  missionary  work  or  not.  The  same  is  true 
in  the  recognition  of  individuals,  coming  to  the  chapel 
to  attend  religious  services,  as  adherents.  The  welfare 
of  his  work  demands  that  the  foreign  missionary  re- 
fuse to  allow  some  men  to  pose  as  Christian  converts. 
In  making  his  decision  there  are  certain  principles  that 
must  govern,  and  the  first  of  three  important  questions 
to  ask  is,  whether  the  opening  of  a  mission  station  at  a 
certain  place  will  compromise  the  ideals  of  his  religion  ? 
The  second  question  that  must  be  answered  is,  whether 
there  are  a  sufficient  number  of  men  at  that  town  who 
are  receiving  the  word  with  a  sincere  heart  ?  If  such  is 
the  case  then  there  remains  still  a  third  question  before 
he  allows  the  name  of  his  mission  to  be  used  in  the  new 
project,  namely  :  is  the  understanding  between  the  ad- 
herents and  the  missionary  clear  in  matters  of  litigation 
and  other  civic  troubles  ? 

It  is  evident  from  this  that  at  the  present  time  foreign 


Pioneer  Sowing  and  Planting  235 

missionaries  must  be  circumspect  in  the  planting  of  the 
church  in  China.  They  will  have  to  investigate  whether 
the  local  condition  of  any  place  proposed  for  occupation 
by  his  mission  are  such  as  will  not  bring  Christian  mis- 
sions in  disrepute.  It  will  not  always  be  an  easy  task  to 
decide.  Conditions  and  facts  obtainable  do  not  always 
make  the  issue  clear  enough  for  quick  decision.  The 
foreign  missionary  given  to  idealism  will  have  a  distress- 
ing time  in  China.  Conditions  in  that  country  make  the 
true,  the  beautiful  and  the  good  almost  impossible  in  the 
life  of  the  common  people.  The  missionary  not  only 
finds  that  sights  and  smells  offend;  he  is  often  at  his 
wit's  ends  to  understand  how  a  nation  like  China  could 
have  existed  all  the  years  with  such  a  low  regard  for 
truth  and  righteousness.  Yet  by  the  very  nature  of  his 
calling  he  is  helping  them  to  higher  ideals,  and  he  will 
have  abundant  opportunity  for  establishing  the  kingdom 
of  God  among  men.  Though  they  may  not  understand 
the  laws  of  that  kingdom,  the  fact  that  men  come  to 
him  for  instruction  should  inspire  him  with  courage  to 
give  them  the  very  highest  ideals  possible  from  the  very 
start.  The  probabilities  are  that  a  new  mission  opened 
with  these  safeguards  will  not  draw  to  it  people  in  large 
numbers.  The  experience  of  most  missionaries  has  been 
that  a  new  mission  beginning  with  a  few  tens  of  men  is 
always  more  desirable  than  many  hundreds.  Individual 
work  counts  for  more  on  the  foreign  field  than  even  in 
the  home  country. 

A  New  Congregation  in  the  House  of  God 
It  would  be  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  Chinese  who 
invited  the   missionary  to  open  work  in  their  town  are 
Christian  in  anything  but  name.     They  have  given  up 


236      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

idolatry  and  come  to  the  newly  established  mission  for 
instruction,  and  that  constitutes  them  Christians  in  the 
eyes  of  the  heathen.  But  let  us  look  in  upon  a  typical 
congregation  of  new  adherents. 

An  old  house  in  the  town  has  been  renovated  and  a 
number  of  benches  placed  in  the  room.  The  people  are 
standing  about  in  groups  smoking  their  pipes  and  talking 
as  usual  in  loud  voices.  Their  language  is  still  filthy  and 
their  expressions  show  that  the  Christian  moderation  and 
love  have  not  yet  taken  possession  of  them.  Their 
habits  are  still  the  same  as  those  of  the  pagans.  Word 
is  given  by  the  evangelist  in  charge  that  the  time  for 
meeting  has  arrived.  At  the  signal  every  one  cries  out, 
«'  Li-pai !  "  Worship  !  Those  who  have  not  yet  done 
so  untie  their  braids,  done  up  in  a  top-knot,  and  let  them 
fall  down  the  back.  Each  takes  a  seat,  every  man  talk- 
ing in  loud  tones  to  his  neighbour.  The  evangelist  finds 
it  necessary  to  tell  the  audience  to  be  quiet,  and  in  order 
to  give  them  something  to  do  calls  out  the  number  of  a 
hymn.  Some  ten  or  more  may  repeat  the  number  in  a 
loud  voice,  without  the  least  thought  of  any  disturbance. 
After  a  number  of  hymns  have  been  sung  the  evangelist 
announces  the  lesson  of  Scripture  and  begins  to  read, 
when  a  man  decides  that  he  wants  to  turn  to  the  page  of 
Scripture  too,  but,  having  missed  the  chapter  and  book, 
calls  out  in  a  loud  voice  to  ask  where  the  lesson  is  found. 
Several,  including  the  evangelist,  inform  him.  At  this 
point,  just  as  the  evangelist  is  about  to  resume  reading, 
he  spies  one  of  the  late-comers  sitting  on  the  rear  bench 
smoking  his  pipe.  He  calls  upon  him  to  put  away  his 
pipe,  and  at  once  quite  a  number  from  the  audience  turn, 
crying,  "  No  smoking,"  each  one  of  them  being  con- 
vinced that  he  did  his  share  towards  keeping  things  in 


Pioneer  Sowing  and  Planting  237 

order.  They  listen  with  reasonable  quietness,  excepting 
a  disturbance  or  two  by  late-comers  who  perhaps  have 
deposited  in  a  corner  a  basket  containing  potatoes  or 
live  chickens  or  even  a  pig  tied  up  securely.  There  is 
very  little  reverence  shown  in  their  demeanour,  and  the 
missionary  finds  himself  growing  indignant  within  him 
as  he  observes  the  lack  of  this,  which  seems  to  him  ab- 
solutely necessary  for  the  proper  development  of  a  true 
spiritual  hfe. 

It  is  of  great  importance  that  a  faithful  Chinese  preacher 
be  placed  in  charge  of  such  a  new  work.  His  responsi- 
bilities are  very  great,  and  his  spiritual  strength  or  weak- 
ness will  become  evident  among  the  adherents  who  have 
received  his  teaching.  The  preacher  is  tempted  by  the 
conditions  of  the  new  mission  to  do  things  that  would  not 
be  expected  of  him  at  an  old  station.  He  is  asked  to  aid 
in  every  conceivable  trouble,  from  a  threatened  clan 
fight  which  he  is  called  upon  to  arbitrate,  down  to  the 
petty  quarrels  of  women  about  their  children.  If  he  is 
avaricious  it  is  an  easy  matter  for  him  to  make  money 
aside  from  his  salary,  but  by  doing  so  he  loses  the  re- 
spect of  the  better  class  of  men  and  his  usefulness  as  a 
spiritual  leader  is  over.  Many  missions  have  lost  men 
who  have  become  victims  of  avarice  at  such  newly- 
established  places.  It  has  become  a  standard  rule  with 
many  missionaries  to  send  only  the  very  strongest  men 
to  such  new  openings. 

The  relation  of  the  foreign  missionary  to  these  new 
stations  should  be  well  defined  and  uniform.  Pressure 
will  be  brought  upon  the  native  preacher  by  the  ad- 
herents to  use  his  good  offices  to  gain  the  missionary's 
help  in  this  or  that  case  of  litigation.  The  preacher, 
while  knowing  the  rules  of  his  mission,  feels  that  he  must 


238      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

do  something  to  satisfy  the  adherents  and  to  remove  the 
responsibihty  from  his  shoulders.  He  presents  the  case 
in  the  most  favourable  light,  for  if  the  missionary  should 
offer  to  render  any  aid  it  would  be  a  distinct  victory  for 
him  and  he  would  be  •'  persona  grata  "  to  an  increasing 
circle  of  friends.  But  the  foreign  missionary  knows  the 
power  of  precedence.  The  Chinese  are  not  slow  in 
noting  some  favour  to  this  or  that  place,  and  a  discrimi- 
nation at  a  later  time  against  another  place  would  not  re- 
dound to  his  credit  as  a  leader. 

Questions  of  finance  in  a  new  mission  will  also  have  to 
be  solved.  It  is  common  for  the  Chinese  who  have  a 
case  on  hand  to  pay  a  very  good  salary  to  a  preacher  if 
they  can  entertain  hopes  of  receiving  yamen  aid  from  the 
missionary ;  or  if  the  preacher  is  a  good  man  for  settling 
quarrels,  etc.  It  is  to-day  a  mooted  question  whether  it 
is  wise  to  allow  adherents  who  have  a  case  of  litigation 
with  no  religious  import,  to  ask  the  help  of  mission 
workers.  Growing  out  of  this  problem  of  asking  the 
native  preachers  to  become  arbiters  of  all  sorts  of  civil 
and  worldly  affairs,  is  the  important  question  of  allowing 
adherents,  who  have  not  made  considerable  advance  in 
spiritual  enlightenment,  to  contribute  any  money  towards 
the  support  of  the  preacher.  This  may  seem  to  the 
reader  an  extreme  position  to  take,  but  the  pagan 
Chinese  do  not  give  something  for  nothing.  They  ex- 
pect to  get  aid  if  they  make  a  contribution,  and  the  mis- 
sionary who  fails  to  see  it  is  deluding  himself.  The 
writer  was  present  at  an  occasion  at  one  of  his  out- 
stations  when  money  for  the  preacher's  salary  was  being 
raised  for  the  coming  year.  A  well-to-do  old  man  was 
finally  asked  whether  he  desired  to  add  his  name  to  the 
list  as  all  others  had  done.     He  remarked  that  he  hardly 


Pioneer  Sowing  and  Planting  239 

had  made  up  his  mind  yet.  "  Last  year  about  this  time," 
he  said,  "  I  gave  ^2.00,  and  also  asked  the  church  to  pray 
for  my  lame  leg.  I  gave  the  ^^2.00  but  I  still  have  the 
lame  leg.  I  will  see  later  on  what  I  can  do."  Of  course 
he  was  set  right  in  his  theology  by  a  number  of  Chris- 
tians, but  his  case  is  not  isolated  by  any  means,  nor  do  all 
expect  aid  only  by  prayers  either. 

And  yet  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  ignore  the  impor- 
tance of  teaching  a  congregation  from  the  very  beginning 
to  make  a  substantial  contribution  towards  its  own  self- 
support.  Experience  has  taught  that  such  congregations 
that  have  been  aided  financially  for  twenty  or  more  years 
have  been  slower  in  becoming  self-supporting  churches 
than  congregations  formed  many  years  later,  but  who 
were  expected  from  the  beginning  to  raise  a  share  of  the 
expenses  necessary  to  carry  on  the  work  in  their  own 
locality.  As  with  everything  else  in  Christian  missions, 
the  Chinese  need  to  be  taught  what  is  proper ;  the  mis- 
sionary cannot  take  anything  for  granted.  It  is  Hne  upon 
line,  precept  upon  precept. 

In  order  to  establish  a  mission  of  real  permanent  value 
the  missionary  must  insist  that  the  male  adherents  allow 
their  wives  to  attend  worship.  An  outstation  can  never 
be  considered  fully  established  until  the  men  lead  their 
wives,  mothers  and  children  to  worship  at  the  chapel. 
True  church  planting  can  be  done  only  when  the  family  is 
under  Christian  instruction.  The  individuals  who  have 
become  Christians,  but  who  fail  to  lead  their  relatives  to 
Christ,  cannot  exert  that  influence  which  the  Christian 
family  does.  The  individual  dies  and  that  is  the  end  of 
his  influence  in  the  life  of  the  church.  When,  however, 
the  family  is  Christian  the  faith  of  the  parents  lives  on,  as 
it  were,  in  the  lives  of  the  children  and  the  work  of  es- 


240      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

tablishing  the  kingdom  of  God  on  heathen  soil  becomes 
more  thorough  in  the  souls  of  the  children  than  in  the 
soul  life  of  their  parents.  The  important  fact  of  the  in- 
fluence of  a  Christian  family  life  upon  the  social  Hfe  and 
community  in  a  country  like  China  cannot  be  overstated. 
The  missionary  labours  to  bring  individuals  to  Christ  in 
the  first  instances  but  the  Christian  lives  of  many  families 
in  China  will  hasten  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
as  nothing  else  can. 


XIII 

TRAINING  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  LOCAL 
CHURCH 

The  problems  connected  with  the  ingathering  of  the 
first  converts,  forming  the  nucleus  of  a  Christian  church, 
are  manifold.  Care  must  be  taken  in  the  choice  of  those 
who  are  first  baptized.  They  will  be  looked  upon  by 
others  as  guides  to  be  followed.  In  China,  as  in  other 
countries,  the  first  converts  usually  do  not  come  from  the 
best  classes  of  the  inhabitants.  But  this  fact  makes  it  all 
the  more  desirable  that  the  first  Christians  be  men  and 
women  who  have  experienced  a  change  in  their  lives.  It 
often  happens  in  God's  own  mysterious  way  that  men  who 
are  in  disrepute  with  their  own  neighbours  are  the  very 
first  who  accept  the  teachings  of  Christ,  while  the  more 
respectable  class  refuse  to  identify  themselves  with  the 
work  of  the  missionary.  The  grace  of  God  cannot  be 
limited,  but  the  future  prosperity  of  the  mission  and  the 
reputatidn  of  the  gospel  which  is  preached  demand  that 
the  first  converts  be  men  who  not  only  have  undergone  a 
spiritual  change  but  who  are  recognized  by  their  neigh- 
bours as  men  living  new  moral  and  social  lives.  It  is 
only  the  changed  character  of  the  first  converts  received 
as  church  members  which  will  challenge  existing  condi- 
tions and  which  will  prove  to  be  the  determining  force 
in  making  a  place  for  the  Christian  church  in  that  territory. 
For  that  reason  the  foreign  missionary  in  China  should  be 
slow  to  receive  men  and  women  as  candidates  for  baptism 
and  church  membership.     For  if  they  should  be  found 

241 


242       The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

lacking  in  true  spiritual  life  or  if  they  are  not  proving 
their  calling  by  purified  lives,  manifest  to  all  their  heathen 
neighbours,  the  missionary  has  only  added  greater  diffi- 
culties to  his  future  work  for  having  received  them  into 
the  church.  In  this  matter  above  any  other  the  mission- 
ary must  be  inexorable  in  demanding  the  most  rigid 
moral  and  social  rectitude.  The  converts  may  still  be 
children  in  spiritual  matters,  but  the  welfare  of  the  young 
church  demands  that  these  first  members  be  men  of  clean 
hands  and  spiritual  conception. 

But  the  test  of  their  spirituality  is  not  as  easy  as  it 
might  seem.  The  Chinese  are  given  to  a  practical  exer- 
cise of  their  faith  rather  than  to  mystical  contemplation 
and  enjoyment.  Rarely,  if  ever,  does  one  hear  the 
Chinese  Christian  speak  about  his  emotional  experience 
of  religion  in  a  prayer-meeting.  This  has  led  some  to 
maintain  that  the  Chinese  do  not  have  a  deep  conviction 
of  sin.  This  is  evidently  a  mistake.  There  are  many 
thousands  of  Chinese  all  over  the  country  who  have  un- 
dertaken long  and  tedious  pilgrimages  in  order  to  obtain 
release  from  sin  and  to  find  peace  of  soul.  The  Chinese 
do,  however,  express  their  religious  sentiments  and  ex- 
periences in  a  way  quite  different  from  that  of  Western 
peoples.  With  the  Chinese  Christians  it  is  the  recital  of 
what  they  have  suffered  or  had  to  endure  during  the  past 
week  that  affords  interest  and  appeals  to  the  Christian 
congregation,  far  more  than  any  attempt  to  explain  sub- 
jective views  or  feelings  as  to  a  certain  bibhcal  truth. 
He  who  has  suffered  the  greatest  persecution  and  lost  his 
earthly  possessions  will  not  fail  to  stir  up  the  interest  of 
his  fellow  Christians,  and  his  words  will  be  helpful  in  the 
prayer-meeting.  These  recitals  of  bitter  persecution  be- 
come frequent  at  every  new  outstation  as  soon  as  the 


Development  of  the  Local  Church        243 

Christians  refuse  to  pay  the  customary  tax  for  the  main- 
tenance of  idolatry  in  their  villages,  or  decline  to  partici- 
pate in  the  worship  of  the  common  ancestor.  Chinese 
Christians  believe  that  when  a  man  or  a  family  suffers 
persecution  for  His  Name's  Sake  they  are  entitled  then 
to  become  proper  applicants  for  baptism.  But  care  needs 
to  be  exercised  that  the  persecutions  are  really  for  the 
sake  of  the  gospel  and  not  the  outgrowth  of  an  old  feud. 
The  foreign  missionary  can  easily  be  misled,  but  it  is 
difficult  for  the  natives  to  be  deceived  by  one  of  their  own 
number. 

The  Organization  of  the  Local  Church 
After  a  number  of  converts  at  an  outstation  have  been 
baptized  and  received  into  the  church,  the  next  step  will 
be  the  organization  of  the  band  of  Christians  into  a  church. 
The  question  has  often  been  raised  as  to  the  necessary  re- 
quirements for  establishing  a  local  church.  There  have 
been  some  who  hold  that  when  a  body  of  Christians  are 
able  to  be  entirely  self-supporting  in  all  their  financial 
obligations,  they  by  that  fact  are  entitled  to  recognition 
as  a  church.  That  is  quite  in  accordance  with  the 
Chinese  way  of  doing  things.  When  they  pay  towards 
the  maintenance  of  any  organization  they  expect  to  be  a 
factor  in  the  running  of  it  also.  Now  while  this  proper 
effort  for  financial  independence  should  be  recognized,  it 
would  nevertheless  be  a  mistake  to  allow  the  ability  of 
raising  a  certain  amount  of  money  to  be  the  criterion. 
Others  have  suggested  that  when  the  baptized  Christians 
reach  a  certain  number  they  then  be  recognized  as  a 
church.  But  numbers  are  not  always  a  satisfactory 
guide.  A  limited  number  of  Christians  may  at  one  place 
have  greater  ability  to  regulate  their  local  affairs  than  a 


244      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

larger  number  at  another  place.  Nor  will  the  opinion  be 
found  satisfactory  that  would  recognize  any  body  of 
Christians  as  a  local  church  as  soon  as  they  themselves 
demand  it.  Such  a  method  may  answer  well  in  some 
cases  but  in  others  much  harm  could  result.  Then  there 
is  the  ordained  preacher  who  may  be  serving  a  congre- 
gation for  a  year  or  longer.  In  that  case  the  ordinances 
of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  could  be  observed 
without  reference  to  the  foreign  missionary.  Such  a  con- 
gregation would  for  all  practical  purposes  be  like  a  local 
church,  self-governing  and  self-directing.  But  what 
would  result  if  the  ordained  preacher  were  to  leave  the 
congregation  for  another  and  an  unordained  man  take  up 
the  work?  A  congregation  of  believers  attains  the 
status  of  a  church  apart  from  the  possession  of  an  or- 
dained man.  This  is  also  true  in  a  real  sense  in  the  case 
of  external  authority.  A  number  of  missionaries  or  a 
committee  may  adopt  a  system  by  which  a  congregation 
may  be  recognized  as  a  local  church,  but  that  is  simply 
an  external  recognition  of  a  supposed  spiritual  growth. 
A  Christian  congregation  can  become  a  church  only  by 
its  own  spiritual  growth.  No  external  system  can  make 
it  a  real  living  church,  though  they  may  be  able  to  grant 
the  status  and  the  name.  We  must  mark  the  difference 
between  essentials  and  non-essentials,  between  the  divine 
plan  of  a  church  and  human  additions  to  that  plan. 

There  is  no  biblical  reason  why  a  council  should  be 
called  together  to  recognize  a  congregation  of  believers 
as  a  local  church.  That  is  ecclesiasticism  pure  and  sim- 
ple. While  the  system  of  calling  a  council  answers  the 
needs  in  home  countries  very  well,  missionaries  on  the 
foreign  field  must  not  place  ecclesiasticism  about  the 
necks  of  the  young  Chinese  Christians.     They  have  no 


Development  of  the  Local  Church        245 

right  to  make  the  ability  to  raise  money,  the  number  of 
Christians,  the  possession  of  an  ordained  pastor,  or  any 
other  external  condition  the  necessary  quahfication  for 
the  attainment  of  the  status  of  a  local  church.  The  only 
essential  is  the  inherent  spiritual  life  of  the  believers 
themselves  and  the  conforming  to  the  New  Testament  as 
the  guide  for  their  daily  living. 

The  writer  has  become  convinced  that  a  congregation 
of  men  and  women  can  be  considered  a  living  local 
church  only  where  the  baptized  Christians  have  such 
spiritual  gifts  that  they  themselves  are  able  to  carry  on 
their  religious  meetings.  There  should  be  men  with  the 
gift  of  prayer  and  with  the  gift  of  exhortation.  They  must 
have  the  ability  and  gifts  necessary  to  carry  on  their  re- 
ligious services  at  their  own  place  apart  from  the  aid  of  a 
preacher  called  from  another  place.  When  a  body  of 
Christian  men  and  women  unite  themselves  for  regular 
worship  on  the  Kityang  field,  having  the  above-men- 
tioned spiritual  gifts,  the  missionary  knows  that  they 
have  all  that  is  necessary  to  constitute  them  a  local 
church,  because  they  are  in  fact  already  the  spiritual  body 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  that  locality.  Observation 
on  the  field  has  taught  the  writer  that  when  a  body  of 
believers  at  an  outstation  are  able  to  perform  their  own 
services  of  worship  they  very  soon  ask  that  the  ordi- 
nances. Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  be  observed  at 
their  place  of  worship.  When  they  have  become  de- 
veloped to  such  a  degree  he  would  consider  those  men 
and  women  entitled  to  the  name  of  the  Church  of  Christ 
Jesus  even  though  they  may  not  be  more  than  five  or  six 
members.  It  sometimes  happens  that  though  a  band  of 
Christians  may  have  the  necessary  spiritual  gifts  to  direct 
all  their  religious  services,  if  need  be,  they  still  fear  the 


246      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

probable  results  that  may  follow  if  the  rite  of  Baptism  is 
observed  in  their  locaHty.  This  fear  must  be  overcome, 
and  when  it  is  conquered,  there  is  no  reason  why  such  a 
congregation  of  believers  should  not  be  classified  as  a 
local  church.  This  development  of  a  congregation  into 
a  church  is  a  growth  and  not  an  external  act,  and  it  is 
therefore  impossible  to  say  just  when  the  church  began. 
As  far  as  the  external  recognition  is  concerned  there  may 
be  certain  ceremonies  connected  with  it,  but  that  would 
be  what  a  birthday  party  would  signify  on  the  twenty- 
first  birthday  of  a  new  citizen  of  his  country.  He  would 
be  a  citizen  just  as  well  even  though  there  had  been  no 
birthday  party.  So  with  the  little  churches  on  the  foreign 
field.  The  time  may  come  when  the  Chinese  of  their 
own  accord  will  want  to  establish  these  semi-social-relig- 
ious customs,  but  the  foreign  missionary  must  not  intro- 
duce them  with  the  absolute  essentials  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament. When  the  Chinese  churches  regulate  such 
things  among  themselves,  as  they  surely  will  in  time, 
they  will  know  where  to  place  the  emphasis  and  what  to 
consider  as  non-essentials. 

The  Reception  of  Candidates  for  Baptism 

It  is  a  wise  policy  to  place  the  responsibility  of  receiv- 
ing applicants  for  baptism  upon  the  native  Christians 
themselves.  This  does  not  mean  that  the  missionary  has 
no  share  in  the  matter  ;  he  will  always  take  a  deep  interest 
in  those  who  are  to  be  baptized  and  will  be  found  ready 
with  advice  and  help  for  the  Chinese  leaders,  but  a  wise 
missionary  will  get  the  Chinese  to  do  as  much  of  their 
own  church  work  as  is  consistent  with  a  healthful  growth. 
The  examination  of  the  candidates  for  baptism  is  always  of 
great  interest.     Usually  the  first  examination  takes  place 


Development  of  the  Local  Church        247 

on  a  Saturday  afternoon  before  the  Sunday  on  which 
they  are  to  be  baptized.  The  deacons,  preacher  and  a 
few  of  the  leading  members  of  the  church  are  expected 
to  be  present.  The  foreign  missionary  or  an  ordained 
preacher  has  arrived  by  the  time  the  examination  begins. 
The  names  of  those  desiring  to  be  baptized  having  been 
given  the  Sunday  before,  the  names  are  called  off  and 
the  applicants  invited  to  take  seats  at  the  front.  The  ex- 
amination of  the  candidates  may  be  carried  on  as  follows, 
each  member  of  the  board  of  deacons,  the  preacher  and 
missionary  taking  a  share  in  the  examination. 

Question  :  Mr.  Lim  Hah  Li,  how  long  have  you  been 
attending  services  at  this  chapel  ? 

Answer  :     It  will  be  three  years  next  month. 

Q.     What  do  you  desire  at  this  time  ? 

A.  I  desire  to  ask  the  church  to  permit  me  to  be 
baptized  and  to  receive  me  into  the  church. 

Q.  Have  you  separated  yourself  from  every  phase  of 
idolatry  ? 

A.  I  have  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  worship  of  an- 
cestors for  the  past  two  years.  Last  year  during  the 
first  month  because  I  refused  to  pay  the  customary  tax 
for  the  theatres  and  the  idolaters'  procession  I  was  perse- 
cuted and  not  allowed  to  live  in  the  village  until  the  mat- 
ter was  settled  by  the  aid  of  our  preacher. 

Q.     Do  your  relatives  also  come  to  worship  here  ? 

A.     None  up  to  the  present  time. 

Q.     Why  do  you  not  bring  your  wife  to  the  chapel  ? 

A.  I  have  repeatedly  tried,  but  my  other  female  rela- 
tives have  kept  her  away. 

Q.     Do  you  pray  in  your  home  ? 

A.  Yes,  but  it  is  very  difficult,  as  they  make  fun  of 
me. 


248      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Q.  Now  about  the  doctrine.  How  many  persons  are 
there  in  the  Godhead  ? 

A.  Three ;  God  the  Father,  God  the  Son,  God  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

Q.     Can  you  tell  us  what  each  does  for  you  ? 

A.  God  the  Father  forgives  my  sins.  God  the  Son 
has  died  for  me  on  the  cross.  God  the  Holy  Spirit 
guides  me  into  all  truth  and  helps  me  to  live  as  I  ought. 

Q.     What  is  this  Book  to  you  (Bible)  ? 

A.  It  is  the  word  of  God,  which  teaches  me  how  I 
may  be  saved  and  live  as  God  desires  me  to  live. 

Q.  What  is  the  purpose  of  the  Church  of  Christ  on 
earth  ? 

A.  To  bring  about  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth  and 
to  prepare  God's  people  for  heaven. 

Q.     Which  is  important,  faith  or  baptism  ? 

A.  Both  are  important,  but  faith  must  precede 
baptism. 

Q.  Do  you  purpose  to  help  the  local  church  in  its 
financial  obligations  ? 

A.     I  consider  it  my  duty. 

Such  and  many  other  questions  in  various  forms  may 
be  put  to  each  candidate.  It  sometimes  happens  that 
thirty  or  more  questions  are  put  to  a  single  candidate. 
At  times  when  the  past  private  Hfe  of  an  applicant  has 
not  been  what  it  ought  to  have  been  the  questions  become 
very  personal.  The  Chinese  leaders  do  not  depend  only 
upon  this  oral  examination  of  the  candidate  in  making 
up  their  minds  whether  to  present  his  name  favourably 
to  the  church  for  baptism  ;  they  also  investigate  his  life  in 
the  village. 

As  a  rule  the  applicant  appearing  for  the  first  time  is 
refused  and  told  to  seek  the  way  of  life  more  diligently. 


Development  of  the  Local  Church        249 

In  some  cases  one  man  may  seem  quite  as  fit  for 
baptism  as  another,  but  for  some  reason  will  not  be  in- 
dorsed by  the  leaders.  During  the  past  ten  years  there 
have  been  over  1,300  applications  for  baptism  on  the 
Kityang  field  but  only  about  700  have  been  received. 
The  Chinese  converts  do  not  take  their  failure  to  pass 
examination  in  a  bad  spirit ;  they  invariably  become  all 
the  more  zealous  in  attending  to  their  religious  duties. 
In  one  instance  an  applicant  for  baptism  had  been  refused 
for  the  sixth  time  when  he  assured  those  present  he 
would  try  until  his  dying  day,  as  he  did  not  want  to  die 
outside  of  the  Church.  The  baptism  of  Chinese  converts 
always  attracts  large  but  orderly  crowds.  Many  persons 
have  received  their  first  impulse  to  becoming  a  Christian 
while  observing  the  holy  rite.  There  are  numerous 
rivers,  streams  and  canals  throughout  the  entire  Kityang 
field ;  in  fact,  nine  out  of  every  ten  of  the  chapels  are 
close  to  some  river  or  stream,  thus  making  the  matter  of 
baptism  a  very  simple  matter. 

Difficulties  of  Church  Discipline 
The  Chinese  are  slow  in  their  administration  of  dis- 
cipline. This  is  true  in  every  phase  of  life.  Most  of 
their  children  grow  up  without  proper  discipline  on  part 
of  parents.  The  Chinese  institutions  of  social  and  clan 
life  make  it  exceeding  difficult  for  a  church  to  exercise 
proper  discipline  over  some  of  its  members.  The  power 
of  the  strong  and  mighty  clans  and  families  to  retaliate 
make  the  Christians  afraid  to  testify  and  to  push  a  case 
against  a  church  member  who  may  belong  to  such  a  clan 
or  family.  There  was  a  case  of  this  kind  only  recently 
at  one  of  the  churches  in  the  author's  field.  A  number 
of  years  ago  a  well-to-do  man,  whose  family  had  undis- 


250      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

puted  control  over  the  destiny  of  all  the  surrounding 
towns  and  villages,  became  a  Christian.  He  made  con- 
siderable progress  in  the  Christian  life  and  after  a  few 
years  was  elected  as  one  of  the  deacons  of  the  church. 
A  place  of  prayer  was  soon  established  in  his  market- 
town  and  soon  after  the  Christians  erected  a  substantial 
building  there.  This  man,  called  Sam  Lau,  desired  very 
much  that  Sunday  services  be  inaugurated  at  this  place 
at  once,  but  the  native  pastor  and  the  church  decided 
that  such  a  plan  would  be  premature  and  not  for  the  best 
interests  of  the  work.  The  deacon  soon  became  offensive 
to  many  of  the  members  and  began  to  play  havoc  with 
the  weaker  church  members  by  intimidation  and  by  ex- 
ercising pressure  upon  them  in  business.  The  young 
church  found  itself  helpless  to  move  against  the  deacon. 
The  missionary  observed  all  this  with  anxiety,  for  he  felt 
that  the  rights  of  the  church  should  be  respected  and 
that  no  interference  on  his  part  should  take  place  even 
though  matters  became  still  worse.  The  trouble  soon  be- 
came so  bad  that  some  feared  personal  violence.  In  their 
dilemma  they  came  to  the  missionary  and  invited  him  to 
take  up  the  matter  and  arbitrate  the  trouble.  The  mis- 
sionary might  have  done  so,  but  it  would  not  have  helped 
the  local  church  any  and  it  would  not  have  become 
stronger  because  of  the  distressing  experiences.  The 
missionary  felt  that  all  the  other  local  churches  ought  to 
learn  from  this  incident.  It  was  proposed  that  the 
church  in  distress  should  invite  a  number  of  sister 
churches  to  send  reputable  and  devout  men  as  representa- 
tives to  meet  with  the  church  and  give  their  advice.  In 
all  sixteen  churches  were  invited  and  a  personal  letter 
from  the  missionary  reminded  these  churches  to  send 
only  their  strongest  members  as  representatives,  men  of 


Development  of  the  Local  Church        25 1 

repute  if  possible,  but  certainly  of  spiritual  force  and 
character.  When  the  day  arrived  for  the  holding  of  the 
council  the  number  and  character  of  the  men  sent  to 
represent  the  churches  made  a  deep  impression  upon  all. 
Sam  Lau  was  present,  and  being  of  the  gentry,  knew  how 
to  keep  up  the  dignity  on  his  side,  while  the  patience  of 
the  pastor  and  other  leading  church  members  was  evident 
to  all.  The  sessions  were  held  all  that  day.  The  Chinese 
are  past  masters  in  the  settling  of  trouble,  and  at  the 
close  of  their  meetings  they  found  one  charge  true  against 
the  local  church,  three  sustained  against  Sam  Lau,  and  a 
reprimand  or  caution  advisable  for  some  unwise  members. 
Sam  Lau  was  requested  by  the  council  to  ask  the  pastor 
to  forgive  him.  This  he  did  during  that  very  meeting. 
The  authority  of  the  local  church  over  her  members  was 
confirmed  and  every  church  on  the  field  felt  that  a 
method  of  cooperation  had  been  established  by  which 
they  could  have  protection  against  men  who  placed 
themselves  above  the  authority  of  the  local  church.  The 
missionary,  on  his  part,  felt  that  the  native  churches  had 
advanced  another  step  towards  governing  their  own 
affairs,  and  that  to  carry  the  responsibilities  of  their  own 
work  was  their  prerogative. 

The  Theology  of  the  Chinese  Church 
The  theological  teaching  in  the  young  Chinese  Church 
is  largely  molded  by  the  views  of  the  foreign  missionaries, 
the  founders  of  the  churches.  It  is  quite  natural  that 
this  should  be  the  case.  But  there  are  many  signs  that 
the  Chinese  pastors  and  teachers  are  appropriating  bib- 
lical truths  and  assimilating  them  in  their  own  peculiar 
manner.  The  Bible,  after  all,  was  made  for  the  whole 
human  race  and  certain  phases  of  the  book  will  therefore 


252      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

appeal  to  the  Chinese  in  a  way  quite  different  at  times 
from  what  it  does  to  Europeans.  Their  admiration  for 
the  monotheism  of  the  Old  Testament  is  unbounded  and 
the  chief  incidents  in  the  history  of  the  Jewish  nation 
are  constantly  dwelt  upon  by  the  Chinese  preachers. 

This  has  a  psychological  basis.  In  more  than  one 
sense  their  civilizations  have  been  somewhat  similar. 
The  Chinese  have  preserved  up  to  the  present  day  a  pa- 
triarchal system  similar  to  the  system  in  vogue  at  the  time 
of  Abraham.  The  offering  of  Isaac  as  a  sacrifice  to  God 
does  not  seem  in  the  least  harsh  or  incongruous  to  them, 
for  according  to  their  patriarchal  system  the  ancestor  has 
power  over  the  life  and  death  of  his  offspring.  Nobody 
has  a  right  to  interfere  but  God.  Certain  truths  of  the 
Old  Testament  mean  more  to  the  Chinese  Christian  than 
they  do  to  the  European.  We  have  perhaps  never 
thought  of  pouring  out  thanks  upon  our  knees  before 
God  for  being  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob. 
To  us  it  is  a  simple  historical  fact  among  a  thousand 
others.  But  to  the  Chinese  who  has  had  to  forsake  the 
worship  of  the  ancestor  tablet  and  to  abandon  the  yearly 
pilgrimage  to  the  grave  of  his  ancestor,  the  comforting 
assurance  that  the  Almighty  God  is  not  only  the  God  of 
the  individual  but  the  God  of  the  ancestor,  the  clan  and 
the  family  is  to  him  more  dear  than  we  can  make  plain 
to  the  Western  mind.  Sunday  after  Sunday,  year  after 
year,  do  the  Chinese  Christians  thank  God  and  rejoice  in 
this  truth.  It  fills  a  definite  need  and  want  in  their  lives 
and  it  is  simply  impossible  for  us  to  estimate  the  impor- 
tance it  may  yet  have  upon  the  history  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  China. 

The  account  in  the  First  Book  of  Samuel  of  Hannah 
praying  in  the  temple  that  God  may  have  compassion 


Development  of  the  Local  Church        253 

upon  her  and  take  away  her  reproach  is  a  theme  upon 
which  every  Chinese  preacher  loves  to  dwell,  for  he  knows 
that  the  sympathies  of  all  are  enlisted.  The  perpetuation 
of  the  family  name  is  a  very  essential  matter  among  the 
Chinese  to-day  as  it  was  thousands  of  years  ago  among 
the  Jews.  Lessons  from  the  life  of  Samuel  are  drawn  as 
often  as  any  single  truth  from  the  New  Testament.  The 
heroic  conflict  of  the  prophet  Elijah  with  idolatry  and 
paganism  is  also  an  unfailing  source  of  comfort  to  the 
Chinese.  The  upheavals  in  China  during  the  past  decade 
have  often  caused  the  Christians  there  to  turn  to  the 
story  of  the  great  Tishbite  in  his  trials  and  troubles  with 
a  government  opposed  to  the  worship  of  the  true  and 
living  God.  During  the  Boxer  revolt  the  Book  of  Esther 
was  a  source  of  spiritual  help  to  the  condemned  but  still 
hopeful  Christian  Church  in  China.  The  Saviour  of  His 
people  was  still  found  to  be  "  the  same  yesterday,  to-day, 
yea,  and  forever."  The  final  reward  of  a  Haman  was 
repeated  in  the  punishment  of  the  Chinese  governor  Yu 
Hsien  and  other  blood-thirsty  officials  who  had  planned  to 
exterminate  the  Christians. 

Foreign  missionaries  do  well  to  respect  the  Chinese 
mode  of  viewing  Christian  truths  if  the  spirit  of  interpre- 
tation is  right.  Many  of  their  views  are  crude  and  often- 
times the  inborn  habit  of  the  Chinese  to  consider  them- 
selves the  cream  of  all  nations  will  manifest  itself  in  their 
theology.  A  favourite  theme  among  the  preachers  and 
pastors  is  that  the  Chinese  are  the  descendants  of  Shem, 
the  first-born  of  Noah.  They  will  refer  to  the  fact  that 
the  Europeans  are  the  descendants  of  Japhet,  or  the 
youngest  of  the  three  brothers.  To  the  Western  mind 
that  does  not  mean  anything  important  but  to  the  Chinese 
it  is  one  of  those  things  that  help  the  Chinese  Christians 


254      'The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

to  mollify  opposition  among  their  countrymen.  Chinese 
teachers  have  been  heard  to  preach  from  the  words 
"  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Shem ;  and  Canaan  shall 
be  his  servant.  God  shall  enlarge  Japhet  and  he  shall 
dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem  and  Canaan  shall  be  his  serv- 
ant." The  fact  of  Europeans  having  established  them- 
selves in  China  is  looked  upon  as  the  fulfillment  of  this 
prophecy,  but  they  add  that  habitation  in  a  tent  is  only 
a  temporary  event.  The  Chinese  have  very  poor  opinions 
of  the  negro  and  his  abilities. 

The  epistles  of  the  Apostles  are  in  many  instances  of 
very  vital  importance  to  these  churches  in  China.  Having 
come  out  of  the  darkness  of  heathenism  they  understand 
the  real  significance  of  the  power  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 
The  instructions  contained  in  the  Epistles  of  James  and 
those  to  the  Thessalonians,  Corinthians,  Galatians  and 
others,  answer  every-day  problems  in  a  very  practical 
manner.  The  fact  that  the  Chinese  Christians  have  so 
nobly  responded  to  the  claim  of  God's  word  has  led  many 
of  their  friends  to  prophesy  that  they  will  yet  give  to  the 
world  a  type  of  Christian  manhood  that  shall  be  a  distmct 
addition  to  the  Church  of  God.  The  Chinese  have 
natural  abilities  of  a  high  order,  and  when  the  Holy  Spirit 
shall  make  use  of  these  abilities,  the  spiritual  gifts  of  the 
Chinese  will  be  classed  among  the  highest  yet  attained. 
This  is  partly  due  to  their  intense  moral  training.  No 
nation  has  made  use  of  its  moral  systems  in  practical  life 
as  have  the  Chinese  race.  Many  forms  of  her  moral  code 
are  obsolete  and  without  force  or  influence,  but  the  in- 
tense moral  nature  of  the  people  is  still  unchanged  and 
with  the  universal  sway  of  the  Christian  religion  the 
practical  morality  of  the  New  Testament  will  have  an 
opportunity  as  never  before. 


Development  of  the  Local  Church        255 

Chinese  Faith  in  Prayer 
The  faith  of  the  average  Chinese  Christian  in  the  effi- 
cacy of  prayer  is  practically  unlimited.  It  is  considered 
nothing  out  of  the  ordinary  to  have  a  number  of  Chris- 
tians arise  in  a  prayer-meeting  and  ask  for  the  benefit  of 
prayers  for  a  sick  member  of  their  households  or  for 
themselves.  Oftentimes  the  sick  person  is  brought  to 
the  chapel,  but  this  faith  in  the  power  of  prayer  does  not 
hinder  them  from  accepting  medicine  from  the  preacher. 
They  believe  in  medicine  as  a  means  given  by  God  for 
man's  well-being,  and  Christians  never  take  a  dose  of 
medicine  without  uttering  a  prayer  for  divine  blessing. 
A  Christian  about  to  travel,  to  build  or  renovate  a  house, 
will  invariably  ask  the  church  to  pray  for  the  success  of 
his  undertaking.  They  will  pray  for  one  another  in  a 
season  when  their  cattle  are  perishing  because  of  pesti- 
lence. The  loss  of  a  water-buffalo  or  a  pig  is  often  a 
great  calamity  to  a  family  and  in  this  as  in  other  matters 
they  find  the  Christian  faith  a  source  of  refuge  and  com- 
fort. It  has  happened  that  Christians  have  arisen  in  a 
prayer-meeting  publicly  and  given  thanks  to  God  for 
protection  to  cattle  during  a  season  of  danger.  Buffalos 
and  swine  belonging  to  the  idolaters  had  died  by  the 
score,  but  the  wee  pig  of  the  Christian,  or  his  water- 
buffalo,  had  escaped  destruction.  The  foreign  mission- 
ary is  tempted  at  times  to  discourage  this  minute  prac- 
tical application  of  the  Christian  faith,  but  every  time  he 
studies  the  situation,  and  notes  their  deep  earnestness 
and  their  great  poverty  compared  with  Western  stand- 
ards, he  can  find  no  sufficient  reason  to  protest  against 
the  practical  application  of  their  faith  in  matters  of  their 
own  private  life.  Perhaps  it  would  be  better  if  they  were 
more  private  in  the  exercise  of  their  faith,  but  then  again 


256      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

the  very  practicalness  of  their  new  religion  may  make  it 
more  attractive  to  their  fellow  countrymen.  There  is  a 
limit,  however,  even  to  the  Chinese  themselves.  Some 
ignorant  people  believe  that  there  is  no  limit  to  the 
power  of  prayer  offered  within  the  chapel  walls.  They 
therefore  bring  their  lunatic  neighbours  or  relatives  and 
persons  supposed  to  be  possessed  with  evil  spirits  and 
exhort  them  to  learn  the  gospel  truths  taught,  and  assure 
them  that  all  will  be  well  with  them  very  soon.  It  fre- 
quently happens  that  these  distressed  people  become  very 
noisy  during  the  services  and  thus  cause  no  little  annoy- 
ance to  the  congregation.  The  majority  of  the  Chris- 
tians would  rather  put  up  with  the  inconvenience  than 
to  have  the  man  taken  out  of  the  meeting.  At  Kityang, 
however,  such  people  are  told  to  go  to  the  hospital, 
while  the  church  officers  promise  to  pray  for  the  sick 
person.  In  many  chapels  such  cases  are  not  unwelcome 
in  the  least.  A  deacon  at  one  of  the  outstations  believed 
in  the  power  of  casting  out  the  evil  spirits  by  prayer  and 
fasting,  and  in  one  or  two  instances  young  men  who 
were  evidently  insane  at  one  time  were  led  to  live  a  quiet 
Christian  Hfe;  the  effect  upon  them  was  nothing  less 
than  marvellous.  The  foreign  missionary  does  well  not 
to  intermeddle  with  affairs  of  such  a  nature.  It  is  pos- 
sible the  Holy  Spirit  may  have  given  spiritual  gifts  to 
the  young  Chinese  Church,  and  that  these  events  are  for 
the  purpose  of  attracting  the  attention  of  the  multitudes 
for  the  time  being.  The  time  will  surely  come  when 
more  profitable  spiritual  gifts  will  be  permanent  with  the 
church.  Meanwhile  every  gift  adds  towards  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  whole  body.  The  Chinese  Christians  them- 
selves must  learn  what  are  the  essentials  and  non-essen- 
tials of  their  new  faith.     The  foreign  missionary  cannot 


Development  of  the  Local  Church        257 

make  the  experience  of  his  own  Christian  life  the  criterion 
of  the  Church  of  God  in  China,  he  must  trust  in  the  good 
judgment  and  spiritual  discernment  of  the  native  Chris- 
tians. If  these  men  and  women  are  under  the  guidance 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Church  of  God  in  China  must 
advance  and  develop  to  a  fuller  growth,  when  she  will  be 
able  to  stand  independent  of  any  support  from  outside 
sources.  There  are  many  of  her  friends  who  believe 
that  she  is  making  rapid  progress  towards  this  goal. 


XIV 

THE  USE  AND  MISUSE  OF  MISSION  MONEY 

Statistics  show  that  over  fifteen  millions  of  dollars 
were  raised  during  the  past  year  by  the  members  of 
Protestant  churches  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel  in  pagan 
lands.  That  is  a  large  sum  of  money  to  be  expended 
every  year  and  certainly  the  Christian  Church  has  a  right 
to  expect  that  a  considerable  amount  of  positive  religious 
work  should  be  accomplished.  The  fact  that  a  large 
majority  of  the  Christians  in  the  home  land  are  indif- 
ferent to  missionary  work  and  ignorant  of  it  does  not 
prove  that  the  cause  of  foreign  missions  is  a  failure,  or 
may  be  losing  ground.  On  the  contrary,  there  has  been 
a  general  advance  by  nearly  every  important  foreign 
missionary  society  in  all  Christendom  during  the  past 
years.  Furthermore,  thousands  of  the  brightest  of  Chris- 
tendom's young  men  and  women  are  preparing  them- 
selves in  universities  and  seminaries  for  mission  work  on 
the  foreign  field.  They  are  convinced  that  this  work  is 
the  grandest  and  most  important  ever  given  mankind  to 
accomplish.  These  consecrated  young  people,  too,  are 
worth  more  to  the  militant  church  than  are  her  stately 
church  edifices  and  equipment. 

The  funds  expended  yearly  for  equipping,  sending  and 
maintaining  these  leaders  at  the  "  front "  constitute  the 
largest  portion  of  the  money  raised  to  carry  on  this  world 
campaign.  This  is  as  it  should  be.  The  modern  mis- 
sionary in  Asia  and  Africa  cannot  earn  a  living  by  the 
work  of  his  hands.  The  climatic  conditions  and  the  ab- 
solute poverty  of  most  of  the  countries  to  which  the  mis- 

258 


Use  and  Misuse  of  Mission  Money       259 

sionaries  are  sent  make  it  simply  impossible  for  him  to 
attempt  to  undertake  handicraft.  In  countries  having 
important  seaports  it  may  be  possible  for  missionaries  to 
obtain  employment  with  corporations  and  large  foreign 
firms,  but  their  time  would  thus  be  taken  up  in  attending 
to  their  duties  as  secretaries  and  clerks,  so  that  very  lit- 
tle time  could  be  given  for  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  to 
the  people.  The  Church  of  Christ  sends  men  to  teach 
the  gospel  and  in  order  that  they  may  be  able  to  carry 
on  this  work  effectively,  the  care  of  their  living  should  be 
assured  by  the  church  at  home.  Their  salaries  should  be 
regular,  in  order  that  they  may  give  their  whole  attention 
to  the  word  of  God  and  to  prayer  for  the  native  church. 

Like  every  other  institution  seeking  permanent  results, 
foreign  missions  cost.  The  missionaries  must  have  suit- 
able and  healthful  dwellings.  The  expenses  of  a  grow- 
ing work  constantly  increase  in  spite  of  the  gratifying 
gifts  of  the  native  Christians  in  support  of  their  own  work. 
Until  every  tribe  has  heard  the  gospel  message,  the 
church  will  have  to  send  pioneer  missionaries,  and  the 
very  nature  of  such  a  work  demands  liberal  support  on 
the  part  of  the  church  for  many  years.  As  the  work 
develops  and  the  native  church  is  formed,  another  item 
of  expense  is  added,  namely,  the  establishing  of  institu- 
tions of  learning.  No  mission  centre  can  hope  to  become 
a  powerful  influence  among  a  people  like  the  Chinese  if 
higher  education  be  neglected.  But  such  institutions 
cost  a  great  deal  of  money. 

It  may  also  be  added  that  the  expenses  of  medical 
missions,  which  ought  to  be  established  at  every  central 
station  of  every  mission  in  China,  are  also  heavy.  Pub- 
lication societies  and  mission  presses  are  essential  auxili- 
aries to  every  developed  missionary  enterprise,  and  the 


26o      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

expenses  connected  with  the  founding  of  such  institutions 
are  perfectly  legitimate.  They  help  much  towards  the 
development  of  the  native  churches  and  give  a  solidarity 
to  the  work  which  nothing  else  can  give.  These  above- 
mentioned  and  other  institutions  are  necessary  to  every 
large  mission  in  China  and  the  churches  of  the  home 
lands  should  not  hesitate  to  invest  many  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  dollars  in  placing  them  upon  a  basis  at  once 
worthy  of  the  cause  and  a  credit  to  the  statesmanlike 
policy  of  the  missionary  leaders.  Money  expended  for 
these  enterprises  is  making  the  best  use  of  the  offer- 
ings of  Christian  men  and  women. 

Misuse  of  Home  Money  on  the  Foreign  Field 
Every  enterprise  of  human  activity  is  liable,  as  time 
passes,  to  show  evidences  of  mistaken  judgment,  foreign 
missions  not  excepted.  It  is  being  universally  regarded 
that  to  support  a  native  church  among  an  able  race  like 
the  Chinese  for  over  a  generation  is  a  mistake,  yet  in 
times  past  this  has  been  done.  It  was  thought  that  the 
Chinese  were  too  poor.  Therefore,  missionaries  not  only 
supplied  them  with  a  preacher,  free  of  expense,  but  also 
paid  the  rent  of  the  meeting-house.  They  hired  a  janitor 
or  doorkeeper  and  in  some  instances  the  monthly  tea 
bill  was  paid  regularly  by  the  foreign  teacher.  In  those 
days  there  was  slow  progress  ;  the  adherents  were  few  and 
missionaries  felt  that  it  would  not  be  wise  to  put  money 
burdens  upon  the  new  converts  who  had  to  bear  the 
moral  and  social  reproaches  of  their  neighbours.  Charity 
must  be  used  in  criticising  the  methods  of  men  who 
laboured  faithfully  many  years,  for  the  probabilities  are 
that  every  young  missionary  to-day,  if  placed  in  the  cir- 
cumstances and  conditions  of  missionary  work  in  China 


Use  and  Misuse  of  Mission  Money       261 

of  thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  would  have  done  likewise. 
The  missionaries  in  those  days  were  men  of  great 
patience,  and  having  received  the  promise  of  financial 
support  from  their  missionary  society  they  felt  perhaps 
that  they  would  do  wrong  in  letting  opportunities 
for  advance  work  pass  by,  if  they  were  not  liberal 
with  the  use  of  home  money  already  in  their  hands  to  be 
used.  Perhaps  the  first  financial  aid  thus  rendered  was 
not  wrong  in  policy.  The  continuation  of  that  system 
after  converts  were  baptized  was  certainly  an  error  and 
could  not  help  but  arrest  the  growth  and  development  of 
the  first  converts.  These  latter  were  true  to  God  in 
their  faith  and  steadfast  in  suffering  persecution.  They 
were  unfaithful,  however,  in  their  stewardship  and  to- 
wards their  fellow  men.  Some  of  these  older  members 
to-day  prove  to  be  the  greatest  barrier  to  progress  in 
liberal  giving  and  in  the  development  of  a  true  mission- 
ary spirit. 

The  fact  that  the  foreign  missionary  paid  all  the  ex- 
penses resulted  in  the  work  at  the  mission  chapels  being 
designated  as  the  foreigner's.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that 
when  the  Chinese  pay  their  own  bills  they  do  not  allow 
the  foreigner  or  any  one  else  to  receive  undue  credit. 
The  fact  that  the  Chinese  have  always  supported  their  in- 
digenous religion,  ancestral  worship,  Buddhism  and  the 
superstitions  of  Taoism,  which,  by  the  way,  are  extremely 
costly  for  a  people  like  the  Chinese,  ought  to  have  led 
the  missionaries  to  insist  that  when  they  became  Chris- 
tians and  were  thus  released  from  their  expensive 
heathen  religion,  they  would  share  a  part  of  the  expenses 
of  their  Christian  worship  at  least  at  their  own  local 
chapels. 

The  support  of  native  helpers  with  foreign  money  can 


262      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

be  helpful  only  when  the  individuals  supported  under- 
stand that  they  are  to  do  the  work  of  evangelists.  There 
is  a  distinct  difference  between  this  work  and  that  of  a 
regular  preacher.  The  evangelist  preaches  the  gospel  of 
salvation  to  the  pagans  and  is  not  permanently  appointed  to 
any  one  station  or  church.  A  preacher  may  do  the  work 
of  an  evangelist  a  part  of  his  time,  and  invariably  does  do 
it,  but  he  has  a  flock  of  Christians  to  feed  and  guide.  He 
may  not  yet  be  an  ordained  man,  but  the  sphere  of  the 
preacher's  work  ought  to  help  develop  him  as  pastor  and 
leader.  The  funds  raised  in  the  home  land  are  given 
with  the  desire  that  the  money  be  used  for  the  procla- 
mation of  the  gospel  to  people  who  have  not  yet  accepted 
Christ  rather  than  to  pay  the  salaries  of  preachers  and 
pastors.  The  local  churches  ought  to  pay  these  salaries 
and  only  in  instances  where  the  Christians  are  poor,  but 
are,  nevertheless,  making  great  efforts  towards  self-sup- 
port, ought  there  to  be  any  aid  from  the  home  contribu- 
tions. The  money  thus  appropriated  ought  to  be  paid  to 
the  church  as  an  aid  and  not  to  the  preacher  or  pastor 
apart  from  the  management  of  the  local  church. 

The  question  of  the  amount  of  salary  which  the  foreign 
missionaries  ought  to  pay  evangelists  is  one  that  has  been 
often  raised  on  the  foreign  field.  There  arise  conditions 
on  the  field  that  tempt  many  missionaries  to  pay  sala- 
ries considerably  higher  than  the  wages  which  the 
average  Chinese  receive.  The  question  of  a  suitable  in- 
come for  the  support  of  wife  and  children  has  its  place  in 
China  as  well  as  in  America.  Missionaries  desire  to  get 
the  very  best  talent  possible  and  in  times  when  great  op- 
portunities for  preaching  the  gospel  are  everywhere  evi- 
dent, the  question  of  a  few  dollars  seems  a  very  small 
item  in  comparison  to  the  great  good  that  may  be  ac- 


Use  and  Misuse  of  Mission  Money       263 

complished.  Then  again,  there  are  perhaps  some  who 
by  reason  of  ability  and  equipment  are  able  to  do  work 
far  superior  to  that  of  others.  The  missionary  desires  to 
have  such  a  one  as  a  co-worker.  He  may  offer  him  a 
salary  larger  than  that  of  other  mission  workers,  but  if  he 
is  not  doing  a  special  work,  such  as  assisting  in  Hterary 
work  or  translation,  or  superintending  a  school,  the  sing- 
ling out  of  an  individual  for  a  larger  salary  may  cause 
jealousy  on  the  part  of  men  who  are  employed  along  the 
same  lines  of  work.  Our  methods  of  missionary  employ- 
ment should  not  be  on  the  money  basis  but  rather  on  the 
Christian  principle  of  the  surrender  of  hfe  and  all  to  the 
service  of  Christ.  Foreign  missionaries  are  thus  em- 
ployed by  their  societies,  and  the  principle  should  hold 
good  with  the  native  workers. 

Who  shall  determine  the  salaries  of  the  Chinese  pas- 
tors and  preachers  ?  Without  a  doubt,  the  native 
churches  themselves.  They  are  in  every  way  better  fit- 
ted to  do  so  and  know  the  real  value  of  the  man  better 
than  the  missionary.  This  does  not  mean  that  the  mis- 
sionary has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  arrange- 
ments between  churches  and  preachers.  He  will  often 
have  to  advise  them  as  to  the  man  they  need.  The 
method  of  the  Chinese  churches  up  to  the  present  time, 
has  been  to  call  their  preacher  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Christian  year  and  to  make  a  contract  for  one  year.  In 
most  cases  this  contract  is  renewed  two  or  more  times. 
In  some  instances  preachers  have  been  retained  for  six 
and  in  one  case  now  for  ten  years,  but  the  average  stay 
of  a  preacher  at  one  place  is  not  more  than  perhaps  three 
years.  The  yearly  contract  is  simply  following  the 
methods  of  the  people  in  calling  a  Confucian  school- 
teacher.    There  is  nothing  obnoxious  about  it  and  we  do 


264      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

well  to   let   the  Chinese  use  as  many  such  indigenous 
methods  as  seem  best  to  them. 

Sometimes  the  missionary  will  meet  with  opposition  in 
his  efforts  to  establish  the  churches  upon  a  self-support- 
ing basis.  An  old  station  which  had  been  put  under  the 
care  of  a  new  missionary  had  taken  a  strong  dislike  to 
his  methods  of  asking  the  churches  to  pay  towards  the 
support  of  their  preacher.  This  congregation  had  been 
visited  by  evangelists  sent  to  them  by  the  missionary, 
and  having  a  number  of  members  who  were  able  to 
preach  themselves,  was  able  to  exist  without  the  neces- 
sity of  raising  much  money  towards  expenses.  The 
growth  of  the  church,  however,  had  become  arrested  and 
a  fossilized  spiritual  condition  of  the  church  members  was 
imminent.  Those  of  their  number  who  were  wealthy 
proved  the  least  inclined  to  aid  in  supporting  a  regular 
preacher,  and  the  church  notified  the  missionary  that 
they  were  unable  to  raise  the  money.  A  crisis  had  come 
in  the  work  of  that  missionary.  There  seemed  no  other 
method  by  which  to  cure  that  particular  church  than  to 
leave  them  entirely  to  themselves  for  the  time  being  and 
to  make  them  an  object  lesson  for  others.  The  mission- 
ary did  not  include  this  church  in  his  regular  visitations 
to  the  outstations.  After  six  months  had  passed  they  be- 
gan to  understand  that  they  had  isolated  themselves  and 
that  they  were  the  only  church  that  had  refused  to  sup- 
port their  own  preacher,  at  least  in  part.  This  led  to  a 
severe  heart-searching  on  the  part  of  many  of  their  num- 
ber. Soon  the  true  Christians  got  together.  They  ig- 
nored some  of  the  wealthy,  and  among  themselves  raised 
a  considerable  sum  of  money  and  asked  that  a  preacher 
be  sent  to  them  at  once.  This  church  has  since  then 
been    entirely  self-supporting.     They    have    also    con- 


Use  and  Misuse  of  Mission  Money       265 

tributed  substantial  sums  of  money  every  year  for  mis- 
sions besides.  But  what  is  still  more  gratifying,  the 
church  has  branched  out  into  another  outstation,  and  has 
established  several  new  places  of  prayer  in  the  villages  of 
adherents  living  some  miles  from  the  chapel.  It  is  a 
waste  of  money  to  support  a  local  Chinese  church  which 
makes  little  or  no  attempt  towards  self-support. 

The  Problem  of  Specifics 
The  usual  method  of  our  missionary  societies  is  to  ap- 
propriate a  certain  sum  of  money  to  each  missionary 
each  year,  in  addition  to  his  own  personal  salary,  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  work  on  his  field.  As  a  rule,  the  re- 
quest of  this  sum  on  the  part  of  the  missionary  has  been 
examined  and  endorsed  by  his  co-workers  of  the  same 
mission.  The  missionary  authorities  at  home  feel  safe 
in  granting  these  requests  and  the  method  is  likely  to  in- 
sure equal  consideration  to  all  worthy  needs.  It  some- 
times happens,  however,  that  the  work  in  a  certain  field 
develops  during  the  year  beyond  the  calculation  of  the 
missionary.  There  is  a  special  demand  for  evangelists. 
To  send  these  men  would  cost  money  far  exceeding  the 
appropriation  granted  for  his  field.  The  usual  method  of 
presenting  such  cases  to  the  proper  committee  on  the 
foreign  field  and  then  referring  the  whole  matter  to  the 
home  authorities  would  take  months  and  the  opportunity 
presented  meanwhile,  have  been  lost.  Rather  than  run 
the  risk  of  losing  the  opportunity  for  which  the  foreign 
missionary  had  been  praying  for  months,  perhaps  years, 
he  will,  in  many  instances,  pay  the  money  out  of  his  own 
funds.  It  often  happens  that  missionaries  pay  out  of 
their  own  private  purse  such  expenses  rather  than  let  the 
opportunity  slip  by.     Sometimes  the  missionary  societies 


266      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

will  reimburse  these  sums  to  the  missionary,  who  as  a 
rule  cannot  afford  very  well  such  extra  expenses.  If, 
however,  the  missionary  had  a  special  fund  upon  which 
he  could  depend,  it  would  in  many  ways  afford  a  great 
relief.  But  only  special  offerings  from  friends  interested 
in  his  work  will  enable  the  average  missionary  to  be  in 
possession  of  such  a  fund. 

The  giving  of  funds  as  specifics  by  friends  of  foreign 
missions  and  home  churches  is  likely  to  draw  their  at- 
tention from  world-wide  evangelization  to  a  hmited 
locality.  It  is  good  to  have  men  and  women  interested 
enough  to  give  for  the  work  of  any  distinct  mission 
centre  in  China.  It  is  better  if  they  are  instructed  as  to 
the  needs  of  the  whole  of  that  great  nation  and  give  their 
sums  for  the  evangelization  of  her  many  miUions.  But 
it  is  best  to  have  a  world-wide  vision  and  to  give,  be  the 
sum  ever  so  small,  for  the  evangelization  of  the  entire 
world,  or  such  a  part  of  it  as  is  reached  by  the  missionary's 
own  society.  Specifics  tend  to  narrow  the  giver  in  his 
conception  and  duty  towards  the  great  commission, 
"  Go  ye  into  all  the  world."  The  one  hundred  dollars 
which  a  little  church  may  give  should  "  go  "  into  all  the 
world.  Each  giver  can  find  out  from  the  missionary 
secretaries  how  much  of  that  one  hundred  dollars  went  to 
China,  to  India,  to  Africa,  to  Japan,  to  Burma,  Assam, 
Siam,  to  the  Philippines  and  other  lands.  That  thought 
must  be  broadening  to  each  contributor  of  that  one 
hundred  dollars  and  it  makes  every  one  of  them  a  co- 
worker for  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  all 
lands.  A  special  specific  for  one  field  is  clannish,  narrow 
and  provincial.  Its  motive  is  perpendicular  but  lacks 
the  necessary  horizontal  effect  which  must  characterize 
foreign  missionary  work. 


Use  and  Misuse  of  Mission  Money       267 

It  would  be  disastrous  to  the  organization  and  to  the 
effective  work  that  our  missionary  societies  are  accom- 
plishing, if  our  churches  were  to  insist  upon  the  system 
of  specifics  or  on  the  support  of  certain  stations,  and  fail, 
therefore,  to  participate  besides  this  in  raising  funds  for 
the  general  work  of  the  evangelization  of  the  world. 
The  loyalty  of  the  missionary  to  his  missionary  organi- 
zation demands  that  he  do  his  utmost  to  check  the  giving 
of  private  specifics.  There  are  many  missionaries  who 
are  continually  refusing  sums  of  money  to  be  used  for 
some  special  object  on  their  field.  They  always  advise 
that  the  money  should  be  sent  to  the  treasurer  of  the 
missionary  organization  as  the  best  means  of  obtaining 
good  results.  The  "  Station  Plan "  which  is  now  being 
adopted  extensively  among  churches  of  different  denomi- 
nations, is  also  a  form  of  specific  giving.  If  this  is  the 
only  way  by  which  certain  churches  can  be  induced  to 
raise  substantial  sums  for  the  cause  of  foreign  missions, 
it  may  well  be  adopted.  We  have  known  cases  where  a 
church  has  declined  to  accept  the  responsibility  of  a  sta- 
tion and  has  encouraged  its  young  people's  society  to 
take  it  up,  the  church  in  the  meanwhile  raising  large  sums 
yearly  for  the  maintenance  of  the  regular  work  of  the 
missionary  society.  This  is  an  ideal  which  should  be 
adopted.  It  is  a  mistake  for  a  church  to  raise  money  for 
the  support  of  a  native  pastor  and  then  feel  satisfied  that 
she  has  done  her  share  in  helping  out  the  commission, 
"  Go  ye  into  all  the  world." 

Specifics  are  largely  responsible  for  the  development 
of  pet  schemes  of  missionaries  on  their  fields.  Mission- 
aries sometimes  feel  that  they  ought  to  have  an  in- 
dustrial mission,  a  special  school  for  teaching  the  English 
language,  a  printing  press,  a  free  dispensary  and  many 


268      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

other  enterprises.  These  are  all  perfectly  legitimate 
auxiliaries  to  our  mission  work  when  they  receive  the 
indorsement  of  the  other  missionaries  of  the  same  mission 
and  the  approval  of  the  home  authorities.  But  when  this 
is  not  the  case,  it  is  usually  duplicating  the  work  unneces- 
sarily and  proves  a  waste  of  energy,  time  and  money.  It 
is  useless  for  three  or  four  missionaries  of  one  society  in 
a  country  to  run  a  mission  printing  press.  A  well- 
equipped  pubhcation  society  can  do  the  work  much  bet- 
ter. The  same  may  be  said  with  regard  to  special  schools 
and  free  medical  dispensaries.  We  have  heard  of  people 
who  had  given  money  for  special  objects  maintain  that 
they  had  a  right  to  do  with  their  money  as  they  please. 
In  a  sense  this  may  be  true,  but  it  also  is  a  fact  that 
these  good  people  have  no  right  to  expect  that  a  mission- 
ary who  has  been  sent  to  the  foreign  field  and  who  has 
been  regularly  sent  by  one  of  our  national  missionary 
societies  to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  vernacular  and  to 
plant  churches  among  them,  should  forsake  this  direct 
work  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  people  and  "  serve 
tables  "  of  indirect  work. 

In  line  with  this  phase  of  mission  problems  we  must 
also  mention  that  of  establishing  "  private  missions  "  not 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  any  regular  missionary  society. 
They  are  often  called  the  "Free  Lances"  in  foreign  mis- 
sions, but  history  shows  that  after  they  have  had  their  day 
and  support  a  decline  usually  sets  in,  due  oftentimes  to  the 
death  of  the  founder  of  the  mission,  and  then  the  larger 
missionary  societies  are  invariably  asked,  even  implored, 
to  take  up  the  "  mission  "  and  become  responsible  for  it. 
To  do  so  would  often  involve  a  violation  of  the  laws  of 
comity  existing  with  other  societies  and  the  withdrawal 
of  funds  needed  for  the  regular  work  to  absorb  this  "  Free 


Use  and  Misuse  of  Mission  Money       269 

Lance  "  and  establish  it  upon  a  solid  basis  worthy  of  the 
cause.  The  ministers  of  home  churches  ought  to  feel 
themselves  under  obligation  to  discountenance  any  and 
all  of  these  independent  ventures  in  foreign  missions. 
There  is  a  vast  amount  of  knowledge  necessary  to  insure 
the  establishment  of  a  successful  mission,  and  this 
knowledge  is  often  attainable  only  by  the  cost  of  human 
Hves.  New  ventures  in  foreign  missions  are  noted  for 
their  terrible  loss  of  Hves,  the  sacrifice  of  which  might 
perhaps  have  been  wholly  unnecessary  if  these  self-ap- 
pointed leaders  had  worked  in  harmony  with  one  of  the 
larger  missionary  societies. 

Wealthy  Christians  sometimes  feel  that  they  ought  to 
go  to  the  foreign  field  and  support  themselves.  This  is 
more  often  the  case  with  our  English  brothers  and  sisters 
than  with  us  in  America.  As  a  rule  these  persons  work 
in  delightful  harmony  with  the  regular  work  established 
and  maintained  by  our  missionary  organizations  and  they 
are  then  a  blessing  to  the  work.  If  they  fail  to  fall  in  line 
with  the  general  plans,  however,  their  presence  on  the 
foreign  field  may  be  of  more  harm  than  usefulness  in 
spite  of  their  noble  sacrifices. 

Of  minor  importance,  yet  worthy  of  mention,  is  the 
waste  of  a  free  distribution  of  tracts  and  books.  It  is 
not  the  cost  of  publication  that  calls  forth  protest  but  the 
injury  done  to  the  reputation  of  this  class  of  literature 
itself.  Things  given  away  are  rarely  appreciated  in  any 
country.  The  Chinese  will  keep  for  many  years  things 
they  have  bought.  We  find  it  a  wise  rule  to  ask  from 
one-half  to  three-fourths  of  the  full  price  of  missionary 
literature.  Of  books  and  reading  material  used  by  the 
native  Christians  we  have  found  them  willing  to  pay  the 
full  value  if  it  is  found  wise  to  charge  this. 


270      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Financial  Support  of  Auxiliary  Institutions 
Day  schools  for  Chinese  children  are  essential  to  the 
welfare  of  a  mission.  '•  In  days  past," — thus  confessed 
an  old  missionary, — "  when  converts  were  few  and  it  was 
hard  to  get  their  boys  to  attend  our  mission  schools, 
some  of  us  were  even  tempted  to  pay  them  so  much  per 
day  for  coming  to  school."  In  spite  of  this  peculiar 
missionary  method  one  cannot  help  but  respect  the 
eagerness  and  the  foresight  of  those  men  in  trying  to 
get  the  boys  under  Christian  influences.  They  foresaw 
in  that  early  day  that  it  would  be  necessary  for  them  to 
train  the  boys  if  they  were  to  have  efficient  co-workers 
later  on.  Perhaps  some  such  method  of  subsidizing  gave 
reason  for  the  nickname  of  "  rice  Christian "  in  those 
early  days.  Fortunately  for  us  the  sturdy  independence 
of  the  Chinese  has  saved  them  from  this  stigma.  There 
are  very  few  connected  with  any  mission  in  China  de- 
serving that  name  and  such  cannot  command  the  respect 
of  the  native  church. 

The  present  system  of  our  day  schools  expects  every 
boy  entering  the  school  to  pay  a  sum  of  money  for  his 
tuition.  Many  heathen  often  try  to  have  their  children 
received  into  our  schools,  and  in  some  cases,  where  they 
agree  to  send  the  boy  to  the  religious  services  on  Sunday 
and  not  allow  him  to  stay  away  from  school  to  attend 
heathen  ceremonies,  they  are  accepted,  but  as  a  rule 
they  do  not  keep  their  word  and  the  contract  is  often 
annulled.  The  ideal  is  to  have  a  day  school  connected 
with  every  church,  though  this  cannot  be  reahzed  as 
easily  in  some  places  as  in  others. 

Christians  at  an  outstation  often  call  a  young  man  who 
is  able  to  preach  on  Sundays  to  be  their  school-teacher. 
The   money  received   from   the  boys  for  tuition  often 


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Use  and  Misuse  of  Mission  Money       271 

pays  half  of  the  teacher's  salary  ;  the  congregation  usually 
pays  the  other  half.  We  do  not  like  to  see  men  with 
marked  evangelistic  gifts  tied  down  to  the  work  of  teach- 
ing a  day  school.  The  young  Church  of  Christ  in  China 
reahzes  that  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  is  its  highest 
function  and  that  the  schoolhouse  is  a  good  and  neces- 
sary auxiliary  for  the  successful  prosecution  of  this  work 
among  the  four  hundred  milHons  of  souls. 

The  mission  boarding  schools  are  considered  of  more 
importance  than  the  ordinary  day  schools.  In  more  than 
one  sense  it  is  the  most  satisfactory  method  for  develop- 
ing young  Christian  boys.  They  are  in  constant  touch 
with  a  foreign  teacher,  who  usually  is  a  man  qualified  for 
that  specific  kind  of  work.  We  believe  that  thus  the  de- 
velopment of  an  all-around  Christian  character  can  be 
accomplished  as  could  not  be  the  case  without  these 
schools.  Furthermore  the  scholastic  training  is  more 
thorough ;  there  are  fewer  destroying  temptations  in  the 
path  of  the  young  man.  The  companionship  of  kindred 
minds  having  the  same  purpose  in  hfe  must  be  profitable 
to  the  young  students.  The  conditions  for  entering 
boarding  schools  are  of  course  more  exact  than  for  en- 
trance to  day  schools.  The  lads  must  be  either  church 
members  themselves  or  their  parents  must  be  Christians. 
It  would  be  defeating  the  very  ends  for  which  such 
schools  have  been  established  to  accept  lads  of  pagan 
parents  and  who  themselves  may  not  be  in  sympathy 
with  the  spiritual  ideals  of  the  church.  The  usefulness 
of  such  schools  of  higher  learning  is  lost  to  the  native 
church  if  the  number  of  pagan  lads  outnumber  those 
who  are  Christian  and  in  which  distinct  religious  teach- 
ing is  only  an  elective  study  or  a  side  issue.  It  must  be 
ultimately  both  a  loss  of  money  and  a  waste  of  effort  as 


272      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

far  as  the  missionary  is  concerned.  As  a  means  of  dis- 
seminating scientific  knowledge  the  institution  may  be 
very  successful,  but  Christian  boarding  schools  supported 
by  the  evangelical  churches  at  home  must  stand  for  more 
than  the  mere  dissemination  of  knowledge.  There  is  no 
need  that  our  home  churches  give  a  dollar  for  the  sup- 
port of  institutions  in  China  for  the  teaching  of  sciences 
only.  The  Chinese  are  more  than  willing  to  pay  for  all 
such  expenses  themselves.  All  along  the  coast  and 
many  miles  inland  such  secular  schools  can  be  now 
found  well-equipped,  and  all  the  funds  necessary  to  estab- 
lish and  sustain  these  institutions  are  raised  by  the 
Chinese  themselves.  But  when  the  Christian  Church 
invests  thousands  of  dollars  in  the  establishing  of  a 
school  for  higher  learning,  the  donors  have  a  right  to 
expect  that  they  be  kept  at  the  highest  state  of  efficiency 
for  the  special  needs  of  the  native  church.  It  is  some- 
times maintained  that  these  men  who  are  not  yet  Chris- 
tians can  be  won  perhaps  during  their  period  of  studying 
in  our  schools.  It  would  be  much  wiser  to  make  the 
ABC  of  Christianity  a  requisite  for  entrance  to  the 
Christian  school.  The  influence  of  a  number  of  heathen 
lads  can  be  very  detrimental  to  the  reputation  of  the 
school.  The  chief  aim  of  schools  estabHshed  and  main- 
tained with  home  money  is  to  develop  young  Christians 
to  become  efficient  leaders  of  native  churches.  Expe- 
rience has  taught  missionaries  that  even  in  schools  where 
the  requirements  for  entrance  are  the  strictest  possible, 
there  has  been  a  deplorable  loss  of  men  to  the  churches 
because  of  the  temptation  of  larger  pecuniary  rewards  in 
secular  employment.  Missionaries  have  a  right  to  ex- 
pect the  Christian  young  men  in  China  to  respond  to  the 
call  for  Christian  service  and  when  they  fail  to  answer 


Use  and  Misuse  of  Mission  Money       273 

the  call  they  deplore  it ;  but  their  conscience  is  at  ease 
in  knowing  that  they  have  not  placed  temptations  in 
their  paths  by  throwing  them  together  with  worldly- 
minded  companions.  It  is  not  necessary  to  speak  of 
the  moral  temptations  of  such  institutions  where  heathen 
boys  live  together  in  numbers.  The  Christian  Church 
of  China  ought  not  to  be  asked  to  jeopardize  the  reputa- 
tion of  her  institutions  and  the  spiritual  tone  of  her  sons, 
to  whom  she  is  looking  with  great  expectation. 

Mission  Hospitals 

It  is  surprising,  in  the  light  of  existing  conditions  in 
China  and  the  beneficent  work  of  medical  missions,  that 
more  hospitals  have  not  been  opened  in  that  great  empire. 
The  possibilities  of  revealing  to  the  Chinese  the  essentials 
of  our  religion  by  word  and  precept  are  unlimited  in 
medical  missions.  They  cost  a  good  deal  of  money  if 
the  equipment  is  what  it  ought  to  be,  but  they  are  worth 
the  money  a  thousandfold,  provided  their  aim  and  pur- 
pose are  kept  in  mind.  Where  they  are  merely  philan- 
thropic institutions  or  where  the  chief  aim  is  to  teach 
young  men  the  science  of  medicine  they  fail  to  realize 
the  ends  for  which  they  were  established.  The  aim  of 
the  medical  missionary  should  be  to  make  his  institution 
a  power  for  the  spread  of  Christian  knowledge  and  for 
the  coming  of  the  Kingdom  in  his  district.  Only  by 
keeping  that  in  view  will  he  be  able  to  do  justice  to  his 
high  calling  and  truly  follow  the  example  of  Christ,  the 
great  healer  of  body  and  soul.  China  is  fortunate  in 
having  such  a  noble  body  of  men  and  women  who  have 
given  their  lives  to  this  work.  It  is  a  thousand  pities  that 
the  usefulness  of  many  of  them  is  hampered  by  imperfect 
accommodations.    It  is  wrong  to  send  out  a  physician  and 


274      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

then  let  him  wait  years  for  a  proper  building  for  a  hospital. 
The  Chinese  appreciate  the  great  benefits  of  this  work 
and  in  some  instances,  especially  in  the  open  ports,  they 
have  been  known  to  subscribe  thousands  of  dollars  for  the 
building  of  hospitals. 

Medical  missionaries  sometimes  discuss  the  question 
whether  to  ask  a  fee  from  patients  for  accommodations 
in  the  hospital  and  for  the  medicines  given.  Some  hold 
that  the  principle  "  freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give  " 
should  hold  and  only  money  from  those  who  are  well-to- 
do  or  feel  disposed  to  give  out  of  their  own  free  will 
should  be  received.  Others  maintain  that  the  Chinese 
will  appreciate  the  more  what  is  being  done  for  them  if 
a  small  sum  covering  the  expenses  of  medicine  given  be 
charged.  A  system  that  will  help  the  Chinese  to  appre- 
ciate what  is  being  done  for  them  without  destroying 
the  Christian  principle  of  serving  in  love  cannot  be 
wrong.  The  Chinese  of  course  are  never  asked  to 
pay  towards  the  salary  of  the  medical  missionary  or  his 
assistants. 

It  would  be  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  all  the  patients 
who  have  received  successful  treatment  become  Christians. 
The  medical  missionary  has  reason  to  ask  to-day  as  did 
our  Lord  Hiniself,  "  were  there  not  ten  cleansed,  but 
where  are  the  nine  ?  "  Thousands  of  Chinese  are  afraid 
to  enter  the  hospital  buildings  of  the  Christian  missions 
and  only  can  be  reached  after  they  have  heard  some 
moral  truths  from  either  the  foreign  missionary  or  Chinese 
Christians  which  became  sufficient  evidence  to  them  that 
the  hospital  was  not  there  for  sinister  purposes.  Money 
spent  for  medical  missions  is  well  invested  if  the  primary 
object,  viz.,  to  carry  the  knowledge  of  Christ's  love  by  deed 
and  word,  is  kept  in  view.     If  a  lower  purpose  than  this 


Use  and  Misuse  of  Mission  Money       275 

is  entertained  it  were  better  to  place  the  hospital  upon  a 
philanthropic  basis  and  to  let  the  Chinese  support  the 
enterprise  entirely.  They  can  and  do  support  such 
medical  institutions  in  various  parts  of  the  Empire. 

Theological  Institutions 

Every  mission  must  have  a  school  for  the  training  of 
native  preachers  and  leaders.  Students  who  are  able  to 
pay  their  board  are  asked  to  do  so.  Such  men  do  not, 
however,  form  a  large  percentage  of  the  student  body. 
Many  have  left  their  plows  and  shops  to  take  up  the 
work  of  preaching.  There  is  no  reason  why  these 
Chinese  students  should  not  receive  the  same  consider- 
ation and  support  which  we  give  to  the  young  men  in 
seminaries  of  the  home  land.  There  is  this  difference, 
however,  that  American  churches  support  their  own 
students.  Chinese  students  are  still  largely  supported  by 
funds  sent  from  America.  It  is  but  right  to  expect  the 
local  churches  in  China  to  help  pay  part  of  the  expense 
of  educating  their  young  men  for  the  gospel  ministry. 
Every  church  in  the  author's  mission  is  now  expected  to 
contribute  to  the  support  of  the  students  in  the  theological 
seminary.  It  is  beHeved  it  will  bind  the  churches  closer 
to  this  important  institution  and  it  may  incidentally  result 
in  keeping  undesirable  men  from  entering  the  seminary. 
As  long  as  a  man  is  of  no  special  expense  except  to  the 
mission  fund  it  may  be  an  easy  matter  to  get  a  recom- 
mendation from  a  church  as  a  candidate  for  the  seminary. 
But  when  a  local  church  is  expected  to  pay  a  part  of  the 
general  expenses  of  the  institution  the  people  naturally 
desire  to  see  only  worthy  men  admitted  to  it.  In  this 
way  a  twofold  good  is  attained.  The  Chinese  are  taught 
to  take  upon  themselves  the  burden  of  their  own  work, 


2y6      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

and  there  is  less  danger  of  a  waste  of  time  and  money  on 
an  unworthy  man. 

Offerings  of  Money  on  the  Foreign  Field 
The  foreign  missionary  has  many  opportunities  to  teach 
the  Chinese  Christians  the  difference  between  "  tainted  " 
and  untainted  money.  People  will  come  to  our  missions 
in  China  offering  to  pay  many  hundreds  of  dollars  in 
order  if  possible  to  make  an  allegiance  with  the  foreigner. 
Individuals  will  offer  to  contribute  very  liberally  to  a 
church  solely  to  obtain  the  aid  of  the  Chinese  preacher 
in  settHng  a  troublesome  dispute  with  a  neighbour.  Should 
the  native  Christians  foolishly  allow  themselves  to  be 
drawn  into  such  a  purely  secular  dispute  no  spiritual  re- 
sults follow.  The  party  which  has  been  helped  out  of  a 
dangerous  situation  leaves  off  attending  the  reHgious 
services  of  the  mission  and  feels  that  he  paid  enough  for 
the  help  received  without  committing  himself  to  the  re- 
hgious  teaching. 

The  Chinese  pubhc  should  not  be  asked  to  subscribe 
to  any  mission  enterprise.  The  missionaries  are  doing  a 
special  work  and  Christian  missions  cannot  afford  to  ap- 
peal to  pagans  for  support  of  their  distinctive  work.  In 
some  instances  personal  friends  and  officials  may  want  to 
contribute  to  some  philanthropic  work,  such  as  the  build- 
ing of  a  public  hospital,  but  only  in  such  a  case  should 
money  be  received.  The  Chinese  churches  need  to  be 
taught  in  the  early  stage  of  their  history  that  it  is  possible 
to  make  too  much  of  money  by  receiving  it  from  men 
who  do  not  give  from  pure  motives,  but  who  aim  to  use 
the  influence  of  the  church  for  their  own  advantage,  to 
the  ultimate  detriment  of  the  church. 


XV 

OPENING  MISSION  STATIONS  IN  SOUTH  CHINA 

It  will  be  of  interest  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  opening 
and  development  of  a  central  mission  station  in  South 
China.  Kityang  is  chosen  because  the  writer  has  lived 
there  during  the  past  ten  years,  and  is  thus  better  ac- 
quainted with  this  station  than  with  any  other.  It  will 
be  our  aim  to  show  by  describing  various  types  of  out- 
stations,  how  manifold  are  the  motives  that  lead  men  to 
connect  themselves  with  the  Christian  missionary  move- 
ment. It  will  also  be  seen  incidentally  what  a  power 
unto  salvation  the  gospel  of  Christ  still  is  to-day. 

The  Mission  Field  of  Kityang 
Kityang  is  a  district  comprising  an  area  as  large  as  an 
average  county  in  this  country.  The  boundaries  of  Kit- 
yang follow  in  the  main  the  course  of  two  rivers  called 
the  North  and  South  Kityang  rivers,  which  unite  into 
one  stream  about  ten  miles  below  the  city,  and  flowing 
southwest  empty  into  Swatow  Bay  about  eight  miles 
above  that  city.  The  capital  city  of  this  fertile  district, 
called  by  the  same  name  as  the  district  itself,  is  situated 
between  both  rivers,  and  there  are  several  canals  in  and 
about  the  city  that  connect  the  two  streams.  These 
numerous  artificial  waterways  have  helped  to  make  the 
district  one  of  the  most  prosperous  for  rice  culture  in 
South  China.  There  are  from  two  to  three  thousand 
towns  and  villages  in  the  Kityang  county,  and  the 
people  are  more  peace-loving  and  industrious   than  in 

277 


278      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

many  other  parts  of  the  province.  They  are  mostly 
peasants  who  till  their  small  fields  with  scrupulous  care 
and  the  fact  that  they  are  able  in  many  instances  to  ob- 
tain two  and  even  three  crops  every  year  from  the  same 
fields  makes  it  possible  for  the  people  to  live  in  a  more 
congested  way  than  is  usually  the  case,  even  in  China. 
The  principal  products  of  their  fields  are  rice,  sugar-cane, 
sweet  potatoes  and  many  kinds  of  fruit.  Their  exports 
are  limited  to  sugar,  fruits  and  a  coarse  linen  which  is 
made  in  the  homes  of  thousands  of  the  common  people. 
The  people  of  Kityang  very  rarely  suffer  from  drought, 
owing  to  the  copious  flow  of  water  in  both  rivers,  which 
have  their  sources  in  the  high  range  of  hills  about  one 
hundred  miles  in  the  interior. 

The  district  of  Kityang  offers  ideal  conditions  for  ag- 
gressive evangelistic  work.  The  towns  and  villages  are 
close  together,  and  the  people  are  quite  open-minded  to 
the  message  of  the  foreigner. 

Many  of  the  merchants  have  travelled  frequently  to  the 
foreign  ports  of  Swatow,  Hongkong  and  Shanghai  and 
have  observed  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of  foreign  firms 
of  all  nations.  Ever  since  the  Japan-China  War,  the 
literati  of  the  district  have  been  very  friendly  with  the 
foreign  missionary.  From  the  earliest  period  of  mission- 
ary activity  in  the  Swatow  district  Rev.  W.  Ash- 
more,  D.  D.,  preached  the  gospel  with  success  in  Kityang 
and  estabhshed  a  number  of  outstations.  For  a  number 
of  years  a  successful  station  had  been  carried  on  within 
the  city.  For  a  time  the  work  was  jeopardized  by  certain 
converts  who  became  factionists,  leading  a  number  of  the 
adherents  astray  and  opening  an  independent  mission. 
The  attempt  was  unsuccessful,  however,  and  lacked  the 
elements  of  stability.     At  the  close  of  the  Japan-China 


Opening  Mission  Stations  279 

War  it  was  felt  that  a  foreign  missionary  and  family- 
should  be  established  in  that  important  centre.  When 
the  young  missionary  couple  went  to  Kityang  to  live  in 
1895  they  found  a  small  cottage  and  chapel  already  built 
and  a  body  of  baptized  Christians  numbering  twenty-two 
men  and  women. 

About  the  time  the  missionaries  were  becoming  able 
to  speak  with  some  distinctness  they  received  a  deputa- 
tion from  the  clan  inhabiting  the  forty-five  villages  of 
Chimkhe,  some  twenty-eight  miles  west  of  Kityang.  The 
missionaries  were  asked  to  send  a  preacher  of  the  gospel, 
as  many  of  their  people  had  determined  to  forsake 
idolatry  and  to  worship  the  living  God.  A  minute  in- 
quiry into  the  specific  reasons  that  led  them  to  come  to  the 
missionary  revealed  the  fact  that  they  had  had  clan  fights 
with  the  neighbouring  town  of  Lio  and  that  both  sides 
had  appealed  to  the  civil  magistrate ;  the  latter  was  now 
demanding  large  sums  from  both  parties.  Further  in- 
vestigation showed  that  not  only  was  this  story  true,  but 
also  that  Chimkhe  had  the  worst  reputation  in  that  entire 
district.  Clan  fights  had  been  chronic  with  them  for  the 
past  two  generations  and  the  clan  had  hardly  ever  been 
free  from  lawsuits.  The  magistrate  of  Kityang,  who  has 
power  of  life  and  death,  threatened  to  burn  out  their  en- 
tire forty-five  villages  and  exterminate  the  clan.  It 
seemed  a  very  doubtful  invitation  at  the  time  and  would 
seem  still  more  so  to-day.  But  after  considerable  thought 
over  the  matter  the  conclusion  was  reached  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  them.  The  missionary  insisted  from  the  very 
beginning  that  he  would  in  no  wise  give  any  aid  with  re- 
gard to  the  troubles  growing  out  of  their  fighting  and 
lawsuit.  They  consented  to  this  arrangement.  Reliable 
preachers  were  sent  to  Chimkhe,  and  after  a  week  the  or- 


28o      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

dained  preacher  returned  reporting  that  many  of  the 
people  were  intensely  interested  in  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel.  For  two  years  evangelistic  meetings  were  held 
every  morning  and  evening.  A  large  boys*  school  was 
at  once  established  and  the  lads  soon  became  an  efficient 
help  to  the  evangelist  and  teacher  in  conducting  the  sing- 
ing. It  was  a  marvel  to  note  the  power  of  the  gospel 
among  this  wicked  clan,  and  to  see  how  soon  these  pagan 
people  understood  the  message  and  began  to  rejoice  in 
the  salvation  of  Christ.  Men  and  women  were  hopefully 
converted  from  heathenism  and  at  the  close  of  two  years' 
faithful  preaching  there  was  the  nucleus  of  a  church  in 
the  fact  that  fifteen  persons  had  been  selected  as  proper 
recipients  for  baptism  out  of  sixty  applicants. 

The  leaders  and  elders  of  the  clan  of  Chimkhe,  while 
many  of  them  attended  the  religious  services,  failed  to 
respond  to  the  claims  of  the  gospel.  This  was  due,  no 
doubt,  to  the  fact  that  these  men  have  large  interests  and 
profits  by  reason  of  their  connection  with  ancestral  wor- 
ship. But  though  they  did  not  publicly  confess  Christ 
they  did  receive  the  principles  of  the  gospel  and  its  sane 
teachings  of  life.  They  were  also  wise  enough  to  apply 
these  teachings,  and  when  during  the  following  years 
difficulties  with  their  neighbours  arose,  instead  of  fighting 
pitched  battles  or  spending  thousands  of  dollars  in  litiga- 
tion, they  simply  had  the  matter  arbitrated.  Thus  the 
people  at  Chimkhe,  who  previous  to  the  missionary's 
coming  with  the  gospel  of  Christ  never  enjoyed  peace  for 
a  year,  have  not  had  a  clan  fight  for  nearly  two  genera- 
tions, nor  a  lawsuit  with  their  neighbours  for  ten  years. 
Their  determination  to  keep  out  of  the  follies  of  the  past 
is  clearly  seen  in  the  following  story.  From  1899  to 
1902  the  people  of  nearly  the  whole  western  part  of  the 


Opening  Mission  Stations  281 

Kityang  district  and  two  adjoining  districts  were  in  a 
state  of  greatest  disorder,  bordering  on  anarchy.  The 
larger  towns  and  villages  had  for  many  years  previous 
been  oppressing  and  plundering  the  smaller  villages  to 
such  a  degree  that  the  latter  felt  themselves  compelled  to 
unite  and  to  organize  a  league  of  defense  against  their 
powerful  enemies.  By  this  union  of  forces  the  smaller 
villages  were  able  not  only  to  defend  themselves  but  in 
some  instances  to  turn  the  tables  upon  their  former 
oppressors.  This  led  the  rich  and  strong  towns  to  unite 
their  forces  for  mutual  protection.  Then  a  war — for  it 
was  nothing  less  than  that — began.  A  thousand  villages 
and  towns  were  engaged  in  the  struggle.  During  the 
year  of  1900  over  one  thousand  persons  lost  their  lives  on 
the  battle-field.  The  government  officials  were  afraid  to 
interfere.  The  distress  throughout  the  whole  devastated 
districts  became  so  great  that  the  common  people  begged 
for  arbiters  to  settle  the  matter.  This  period  of  the  fight 
was  the  opportune  time  for  the  officials,  who,  aware  that 
the  people  were  tired  of  fighting,  sent  soldiers  unawares 
to  the  richer  and  larger  towns  and  demanded  a  settlement 
on  a  money  basis.  A  rich  clan  livmg  at  Hongo,  only 
six  miles  from  Chimkhe,  was  one  of  the  principals  in  the 
struggle,  and  was  fined  ^40,000.  The  sum  was  paid  with 
the  understanding  that  no  further  punishment  would 
result.  All  other  clans  involved  were  mulcted  accord- 
ing to  their  wealth,  and  peace  was  established.  Such 
settlements  are  quite  frequent  and  are  considered  proper. 
The  people  of  Chimkhe  were  not  involved  in  this  gigantic 
struggle,  though  all  the  clans  living  about  them  were 
involved  and  the  people  were  sometimes  sorely  tempted 
to  cast  their  lot  with  one  side  or  the  other.  It  was  the 
first  general  clan  fight  in  the  memory  of  the  oldest  per- 


282      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

sons  living  in  which  the  people  of  Chimkhe  were  not  in 
the  thickest  of  the  contest.  It  is  generally  acknowledged 
that  a  change  for  the  better  has  come  over  the  people 
living  at  Chimkhe,  and  not  a  little  of  this  is  due  to  the 
power  of  the  gospel.  The  setback  to  heathenism  at  the 
beginning  was  plainly  seen  in  that  no  theatres  were  hired 
for  two  years  in  all  the  villages.  This  Puritanism  was 
too  radical  for  many,  however,  and  the  annual  theatres 
wholly  given  to  idolatry  are  again  maintained,  but  only 
by  the  non-Christian  people. 

A  Victory  at  Mio 
On  our  trips  from  Kityang  up  the  South  River  to 
Chimkhe  we  usually  halted  a  few  hours  at  the  market 
town  of  Mio  with  its  40,000  inhabitants,  to  preach  the 
gospel  on  the  streets  and  open  places.  We  soon  made 
friends  with  a  number  of  shop-keepers  and  others,  who 
soon  expressed  a  desire  that  we  open  a  meeting-house  in 
their  town.  Meanwhile  some  of  them  attended  worship 
at  Chimkhe.  A  house  was  secured  in  1898  and  leased 
for  five  years  for  use  as  a  meeting-place.  The  morning  of 
the  Sunday  on  which  the  few  Christian  adherents  were  to 
meet  in  the  new  place  of  worship  for  the  first  time,  a 
worthless  fellow,  although  one  of  the  literati  of  the  town, 
claimed  to  have  received  a  message  from  the  gods  of  the 
temple  near  by,  commissioning  him  to  prevent  the 
worship  of  the  Christians  at  that  new  place.  It  is  said 
that  he  came  out  of  the  temple  as  though  in  a  trance, 
muttering  strange  words.  The  people,  believing  the 
spirits  had  spoken  to  him,  gathered  about  him,  where- 
upon he  told  that  the  venerable  gods  of  the  temple  de- 
manded that  the  new  meeting-house  of  the  Christians  be 
destroyed.     He   called    for   volunteers,  and   within    ten 


Opening  Mission  Stations  283 

minutes  had  a  mob  of  500  men  following  him.  The 
house  was  immediately  destroyed ;  not  a  stone  of  the 
walls  was  allowed  to  stand  upon  another.  All  the  timber 
of  the  house  and  furniture  was  piled  up  and  bonfires 
lighted.  The  Christian  adherents  were  at  once  compelled 
to  flee  from  the  town  for  their  lives.  The  local  magis- 
trate called  his  soldiers  to  aid  him  in  quelling  the  dis- 
turbance and  if  possible  prevent  the  destruction  of  the 
house.  Faihng  in  this,  two  men  were  made  prisoners 
and  placed  in  his  yamen.  A  mob  of  hundreds  assem- 
bled before  the  yamen  and  demanded  the  release  of  the 
prisoners.  The  magistrate  did  not  comply  with  this  re- 
quest at  once,  and  so  the  mob  began  to  destroy  his  yamen 
also.  The  prisoners  were  then  given  over  to  the  people. 
All  this  is  typical  of  a  Chinese  mob,  which  will  brook  no 
interference,  be  the  results  never  so  disastrous. 

When  word  was  received  the  same  day  of  what  had 
happened,  the  missionary  was  much  disappointed,  for  he 
had  planned  and  prayed  much  for  this  outstation.  The 
magistrate  at  Kityang  had  also  received  word  of  the  out- 
rage from  his  subordinates.  He  called  at  the  mission 
home  early  the  next  day  and  asked  as  a  special  favor 
that  the  destruction  of  the  meeting  house  be  not  reported 
to  the  American  consul,  as  missionaries  are  supposed  to 
do  in  such  cases.  This  magistrate  had  only  recently 
been  appointed  to  this  place,  having  been  obliged  to  pay 
^70,000  for  the  office.  Furthermore,  the  Imperial  Gov- 
ernment had  recently  issued  a  proclamation  demanding 
that  old  officials  use  their  utmost  care  in  protecting  the 
rights  of  foreign  missionaries  and  Christian  converts. 
Failure  on  their  part  would  result  in  punishment.  The 
Kityang  magistrate  feared  that  if  the  American  consul 
reported  the  case  to  the  viceroy,  it  would  endanger  his 


284      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

position.  He  promised  to  see  to  it  that  the  missionary 
would  ultimately  be  allowed  to  preach  the  gospel  at  Mio. 
We  had  no  sufficient  reason  to  refuse  this  request,  and  as 
the  owner  of  the  house  at  once  received  a  sum  of  money 
covering  the  cost  of  the  building,  we  promised  not  to 
report  the  case  to  the  American  consul. 

The  magistrate  brought  pressure  upon  the  elders  of  the 
town,  and  after  a  month  or  so  the  latter  sent  me  an  invi- 
tation to  come  to  Mio  to  consider  the  final  settlement  of 
the  case.  The  magistrate,  pleased  at  the  easy  settle- 
ment of  such  a  serious  trouble  as  the  destruction  of  a 
chapel,  called  upon  me  at  my  home  and  asked  me  to  se- 
lect a  house  suitable  for  our  purpose  in  Mio,  with  the 
understanding  that  he  would  pay  for  it  out  of  his  own 
funds.  The  elders  at  Mio  were  notified  to  this  effect 
also.  At  the  time  of  the  usual  feast  preceding  such  ne- 
gotiations, the  missionary  gave  the  elders  an  outline  of 
the  missionary  work  of  the  Christian  churches  in  the 
home  lands,  but  he  could  clearly  see  that  his  altruistic 
motive  was  not  appreciated  nor  accepted  as  the  real  one. 
They  suspected  that  he  had  ulterior  motives  which  had 
not  yet  come  to  light.  The  morning  following  the  feast 
some  of  the  village  elders  led  him  through  a  number  of 
streets  and  pointed  out  dilapidated  buildings,  but  he  re- 
fused to  consider  any  of  them.  The  missionary  had,  of 
his  own  accord,  visited  a  certain  temple  which  had  never 
been  finished  and  which  had  nearly  fallen  into  ruins.  He 
was  favourably  impressed  with  the  site  and  the  neigh- 
bourhood. The  contractors  who  originally  undertook  to 
erect  the  building  had  died  and  the  people  superstitiously 
feared  that  the  fung  shui  was  bad.  Others  maintained 
that  the  place  was  haunted  and  kept  away  from  the  build- 
ing.    The  missionary  asked  the  village  elders   to   give 


Opening  Mission  Stations  285 

this  place.  The  result  was  that  within  a  few  weeks  a 
proclamation  was  issued  making  the  property  over  to 
missionary  uses.  The  elders,  however,  expected  that 
those  who  dared  to  have  anything  to  do  with  this 
"  haunted  "  building  would  surely  meet  with  death,  and 
if  the  foreign  missionary  died,  no  blame  could  rest  upon 
them.  That  event  would  also  rid  them  of  the  foreigner's 
religion,  for  who  would  dare  to  identify  himself  with  a 
religious  movement  that  promised  only  death  and  de- 
struction ?  There  was  great  rejoicing  among  the  Chris- 
tians of  Kityang  and  Chimkhe  when  the  negotiations 
were  completed  and  the  temple  was  theirs.  A  large 
number  of  Christians  were  at  once  employed  to  renovate 
the  building  so  as  to  make  it  suitable  for  the  use  of  the 
meetings,  and  the  task  was  completed  without  any  disas- 
ter to  the  workmen  ;  which  caused  not  a  little  surprise 
among  the  pagan  Chinese.  The  day  of  opening  the  new 
house  of  God  was  an  auspicious  day  for  the  Christian  ad- 
herents at  Mio.  Delegates  from  Chimkhe  and  Kityang 
attended  and  there  was  general  rejoicing.  The  progress 
of  the  work  from  Mio  as  a  centre  has  been  very  marked. 
The  experience  there  has  proved  that  more  can  be  ac- 
complished sometimes  by  a  peaceable  settlement  of 
wrongs  committed  against  mission  interests  than  by  use 
of  consular  aid,  though  much  depends  upon  the  honesty 
of  the  local  Chinese  magistrates.  It  is  sometimes  impos- 
sible to  get  justice  except  an  appeal  is  made  to  the  higher 
authorities  through  the  consul. 

The  Little  Church  at  Kange 
Kange  is  a  village  of  about  a   thousand  inhabitants, 
situated  six  miles  east  of  the  central  station  at  Kityang. 
The  people  are  descendants  of  a  common  ancestor  of  the 


286      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

surname  Lin  who  came  with  other  settlers  from  the  Fokien 
province  several  hundred  years  ago.  Towards  the  close 
of  1895  a  few  men  of  this  village  came  to  the  chapel  at 
Kityang  to  hear  the  gospel.  Some  men  of  Kange  had 
opened  lottery  shops  in  their  homes.  As  this  is  consid- 
ered a  crime  and  is  always  punished  by  the  official  as  soon 
as  he  is  informed  of  it,  some  of  the  timid  people  who  pos- 
sessed wealth  feared  the  consequences.  They  knew  from 
experience  that  the  men  of  wealth  are  always  mulcted  by 
the  officials,  even  though  they  are  not  guilty.  These 
men  reasoned  that  if  they  became  Christians  the  magis- 
trate could  not  trump  up  a  charge  against  them  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  their  money.  Their  number  soon 
increased  until  there  were  about  twenty  or  more  ad- 
herents at  that  place.  Fortunately  the  fears  on  the  part 
of  the  people  that  the  magistrate  would  punish  the  well- 
to-do,  as  he  had  done  in  a  neighbouring  town,  proved  to 
be  unfounded.  The  new  adherents,  however,  had  been 
favourably  impressed  with  the  gospel  and  continued  to 
come  and  to  bring  others.  The  missionary  decided  in 
those  days  upon  a  method  that  has  since  commended  it- 
self in  every  way  for  the  development  of  Christian  work 
at  the  outstations.  He  urged  these  young  adherents  to 
obtain  a  house  or  a  suitable  room  in  their  own  village  to 
be  used  as  a  "  place  of  prayer  "  where  they  could  come 
together  every  evening  for  mutual  consultation  and 
spiritual  help,  and  where  they  could  invite  their  friends 
and  neighbours  to  come  in  and  talk  over  the  merits  of 
the  "  new  "  religion.  The  Kange  adherents  were  eager 
to  have  such  a  place,  and  one  of  the  adherents,  Mr.  Lin 
Bang  Bu,  had  a  suitable  house,  which  had  been  built  as  a 
schoolhouse  by  his  father.  This  building  was  given  to 
the  Christians  for  their  special  use  for  a  nominal  rent  and 


Opening  Mission  Stations  287 

thus  the  "  place  of  prayer  "  was  opened.  Both  the  for- 
eign missionary  and  the  Chinese  preacher  visited  them 
frequently. 

Towards  the  close  of  1896  several  were  baptized  and 
preparations  were  made  to  engage  a  school-teacher  to 
teach  the  children  of  the  Christians  and  adherents.  A 
young  man  was  appointed  who  for  four  years  did  excel- 
lent work  there.  While  the  attendance  has  never  been 
very  large  at  this  place  the  character  of  the  work  has  al- 
ways been  a  joy. 

During  the  year  of  1900  the  Christians  at  Kange  had 
occasion  to  show  the  true  calibre  of  their  faith.  During 
these  years  progress  had  been  made  and  a  Httle  church 
formed.  The  Boxer  troubles  were  on,  but  the  Christians 
at  Kange  were  not  molested  by  their  heathen  neigh- 
bours. Their  trials  were  within  the  little  church.  Mr. 
Lin  Bang  Bu,  the  owner  of  the  schoolhouse,  though  a 
baptized  Christian,  had  recently  shown  a  tendency  to 
backslide  into  paganism  :  he  had  visited  theatres  con- 
nected with  idolatry.  This  was  too  much  for  the  little 
church.  Bang  Bu  was  asked  to  repent  and  confess  his 
sins  or  suffer  exclusion  at  once.  It  is  said  he  uttered 
something  about  the  impropriety  of  men  asking  him  to 
confess  sins  in  his  own  house.  Upon  this  statement  the 
deacons  at  once  looked  about  for  another  place  in  their 
village  and  having  found  one  at  once  moved  out  of  the 
schoolhouse.  Each  Christian  and  adherent  took  a  piece 
of  furniture  or  a  number  of  books  and  marched  out  of  the 
old  building  into  smaller  but  more  congenial  quarters. 
The  benches  and  furniture  were  placed  in  order  and 
services  begun  at  once.  Lin  Bang  Bu  was  excluded  that 
same  day  and  the  poor  fellow  has  made  a  bad  record  ever 
since. 


288      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Had  the  foreign  missionary  been  with  them  on  that 
Sunday  he  would  have  cautioned  moderation  and  less 
hasty  action,  but  under  the  circumstances  he  did  not  feel 
that  he  could  discourage  them  for  putting  so  much  action 
into  one  single  Sunday.  This  new  crisis  developed  sur- 
prising strength  in  the  Christians.  They  rose  to  the 
occasion  and  within  a  few  days  raised  money  to  build  a 
suitable  chapel.  Their  deacon  gave  a  valuable  piece  of 
land  for  the  site  of  the  building,  situated  just  above  the 
entrance  of  the  village.  When  it  became  known,  how- 
ever, that  the  Christians  were  about  to  build  upon  that 
site,  there  arose  a  general  protest  on  the  part  of  the  vil- 
lage and  the  elders  were  asked  to  protest  in  behalf  of  the 
village.  It  was  claimed  that  ihe/un^;-  shui  of  the  village 
would  be  destroyed  if  the  chapel  were  erected  on  that 
place.  Not  only  would  the  general  prosperity  of  the  vil- 
lage vanish,  but  the  very  lives  of  the  inhabitants  would 
be  endangered.  When  the  elders  of  the  village  came  to 
the  missionary  he  tried  to  show  them  the  absurdity  of  the 
fung  shui  superstition,  but  found  it  impossible  to  make 
any  impression  upon  them.  They  were  irrevocably  op- 
posed to  the  chapel's  being  built  there.  It  was  plain  to 
the  missionary  that  the  Christians  could  not  ignore  their 
requests  and  that  it  would  pay  in  the  end  to  remain  on 
good  terms  with  the  people  rather  than  to  antagonize 
them,  even  though  their  objections  to  the  chapel  were  but 
superstitions.  The  Christians  at  Kange,  however,  were 
indignant  that  any  attention  should  be  given  to  the  fool- 
ish fears  of  the  people.  They  maintained  that  the  time 
had  come  to  give  the  people  an  example  of  the  absurd- 
ities of  their  wrong  beliefs.  The  Boxer  disturbances, 
however,  were  developing,  and  it  was  finally  decided  to 
waive  the  project  of  building  the  chapel  for  the  time  be- 


Opening  Mission  Stations  289 

ing.  A  few  weeks  later  a  site  within  the  village  walls 
was  offered  to  the  Christians,  and  the  building  was  then 
erected  with  the  best  of  feeling  on  the  part  of  all  the 
people  of  the  village.  Christian  forbearance  and  modera- 
tion will  oftentimes  win  in  pagan  China,  where  a  demand 
for  a  right  to  do  as  one  pleases  will  only  cause  disaster. 
The  opening  of  the  outstations  of  Chimkhe,  Mio  and 
Kange  show  a  few  of  the  many  motives  that  may  lead 
men  to  learn  the  gospel  truths  and  thus  become  Chris- 
tians. If  tact  and  precaution  are  used  on  the  part  of  the 
missionary,  clan  fights,  persecution,  destruction  of 
chapels,  haunted  temples  and  lottery  cases  may  all  add 
their  quota  to  the  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in 
China. 


XVI 

CHURCHES  AND  OUTSTATIONS    ON   THE 
KITYANG  FIELD 

The  purpose  of  this  lecture  is  not  to  narrate  the 
labours  of  the  foreign  missionaries  on  the  Kityang  field ; 
it  is  rather  to  show  that  the  development  of  missions  and 
outstations  has  been  a  natural  growth  due  largely  to  the 
fidelity  of  the  native  church  in  the  use  of  her  spiritual 
gifts.  Nor  should  it  be  supposed  that  the  growth  of  this 
central  station  has  been  phenomenal  or  exceptional.  A 
like  growth  and  expansion  have  taken  place  within  the 
past  decade  in  many  parts  of  the  Chinese  Empire.  Our 
churches  in  the  home  lands  ought  to  be  of  good  cheer 
and  to  take  courage  in  the  knowledge  of  the  powerful 
influence  their  prosecution  of  foreign  missions  has  exerted 
in  China.  In  the  study  of  the  chart  representing  the 
growth  of  the  Kityang  field,  a  proper  conception  of  the 
cumulative  influence  and  power  of  Christian  missionary 
work  may  be  formed  if  it  be  remembered  that  there  are 
many  hundreds  of  such  dynamic  forces  of  spiritual  in- 
fluences at  work  among  the  Chinese  people  to-day. 

The  diagram  on  the  opposite  page  will  give  a  clearer 
understanding  of  the  growth  of  the  churches  and  missions 
to  be  described.  The  red  centres  represent  independent, 
self-supporting  churches.  The  yellow  centres  are  stations 
which  receive  financial  aid  and  have  not  yet  attained  the 
status  of  a  local  church.  The  blue  indicates  "  places  of 
prayer,"  i.  e.,  towns  or  villages  in  which  a  number  of 
Christians  and  adherents  live,  who  have  banded  them- 
selves together  to  meet  once  or  several  times  a  week  for 

290 


Key  to  the  Diagram. 

In  order  to  help  understand  the  growth  of  the  churches 
and  missions  on  the  Kityang  field  __    this  diagram  has 
been   devised.      The   large   circle  ()  represents   inde- 
pendent, self-supporting  churches.  ^-^  The   j^ear    when 
mission  work  was   opened   is   given  with  each   centre 
Ihe  double  circle  f=^  represents  missions  which  receive 
financial  aid  and  \J  have  not  yet  attained  the  status 
of  a  local  church.     The  double  circle  with  the  broken 
""fO"^,?'^'^"*'   "places   of   prayer,"   i.e.,   towns 
and  v^  villages  m  which  a  number  of  Christians   and 
adherents  hve   who   have  banded  themselves  together 
to   meet   once  or  several   times    during    the   week  for 
prayer    and    spiritual    helpfulness.      On    Sundays    all 
attend  services  at  the  nearest  mission  or  church;  but 
they  hope  to  increase  the  number  of  adherents  in  their 
own  town  and  thus  be  able  to  have  Sunday  services  in 
their  own  place.     They  would  in  that  case  be  considered 
as  a  mission.     The  small  ^  circle  represent  the  results 
of    the  Kityang  Native  ^  Missionary  Society. 

To  facilitate  the  study  of  the  chart  the  out  stations 
of  the  entire  field  have  been  divided  into  ten  centres  or 
strategic  points.  These  points  are  designated  bv 
capi  al  letters,  A,  B,  C,  and  so  forth.     As  will  be  seen 

Z^^  ,T'^^^''^^  ^^^y  ^""^  clustered  about  by  a 
number  of  churches,  missions  and  places  of  prayer,  each 
numbered  according  to  the  time  it  has  grown  out  of  the 
particular  centre. 


1905  (^ 


CHART  ILLUSTRATING  GROWTH  OF  CHURCHES  AND  MIS- 
SIONS on  the  Kityang  field 


Churches  and  Outstations  29 1 

prayer  and  spiritual  help.  On  Sundays  they  all  attend 
services  at  the  nearest  station  or  church  ;  but  they  hope 
to  increase  the  number  of  adherents  in  their  own  town 
and  thus  be  able  to  have  Sunday  services  there.  The 
green  centres  represent  the  results  of  the  Kityang  Native 
Mission  Society.  The  churches  and  missions  represented 
by  the  red  and  yellow  colours,  including  all  their  places 
of  orayer,  have  organized  themselves  into  a  missionary 
society.  The  Chinese  Christians  raise  sums  of  money 
sufficient  to  send  yearly  eight  to  ten  evangelists  and 
preachers  into  a  new  territory  to  establish  new  gospel 
centres.  Some  of  these  in  turn  will  soon  grow  into  local 
churches  and  will  help  to  carry  the  gospel  to  remoter 
parts. 

To  facilitate  the  study  of  the  chart  the  mission  stations 
of  the  entire  field  have  been  divided  into  ten  centres  or 
strategic  points.  These  points  are  designated  by  capital 
letters  A,  B,  C,  and  so  forth.  As  will  be  seen,  in  almost 
every  case  they  are  surrounded  by  a  number  of  churches, 
missions  and  places  of  prayer  which  have  grown  out  of 
that  centre. 

The  central  station  of  Kityang,  designated  by  A  is 
in  a  sense  the  mother  church  of  the  entire  network  of 
churches  and  missions.  The  membership  of  this  church 
is  to-day  over  two  hundred,  while  the  adherents  who  at- 
tend service  number  several  hundred.  The  Christians  and 
adherents  come  from  eighty  or  more  different  villages,  all 
situated  near  the  city.  The  church  at  Kityang  is  not 
only  situated  at  a  strategic  location  as  far  as  the  city  with 
its  one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  is  concerned,  but  it 
commands  a  large  territory  congested  with  hundreds  of 
villages.  The  gospel  campaign  carried  on  from  this  point 
will  undoubtedly  be  more  effective  in  the  near  future 


292      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

than  it  has  been  up  to  the  present  time.  The  church 
supports  two  missions,  (i)  South  Gate  and  (2)  West  Gate 
within  the  city  walls  ;  it  maintains  a  flourishing  boys'  school 
and  two  places  of  prayer  in  villages,  Kau  Bue  (3),  and  Bue 
Poi  (4),  a  few  miles  distant.  Besides  supporting  the  pastor, 
the  Christians  also  raise  hundreds  of  dollars  for  their  own 
missionary  society.  During  the  Boxer  revolt  the  church 
erected  a  large  church  building  with  a  seating  capacity  of 
600  people  which  cost  nearly  ;^ 3,000  Mexican.  The 
natives  themselves  raised  nearly  ;^2,ooo  of  this  sum. 
This  act  of  enterprise  and  faith  on  the  part  of  the  Chris- 
tians during  the  very  period  when  the  future  of  Christian 
missions  seemed  problematical  to  many,  had  much  to  do 
in  keeping  the  enemy,  who  were  in  sympathy  with  the 
Boxers  of  the  north,  doubting  the  rumours  and  reports 
of  disturbances  in  the  northern  part  of  the  empire. 
The  general  public  reasoned  that  a  band  of  Christians 
who  were  investing  their  money  in  erecting  a  larger 
house  of  worship  was  not  one  which  was  about  to  become 
defunct.  Their  courage  and  faith  dismayed  and  dis- 
couraged the  heathen  in  their  cherished  plans  of  devas- 
tating Christian  missions.  The  following  churches  on  the 
Kityang  field  have  been  branched  off  from  this  church  since 
the  time  of  its  beginning  :  Gueh  Sia  (D),  Peh  Thah 
(E),  Sua  O  (F),  Hua  Cheng  (G),  Lau  Kung  (5),  which 
has  since  branched  off  into  another  church  at  Kho  Khoi 
(6)  with  her  place  of  prayer  at  Sua  Lai  (7).  An  account 
of  the  opening  of  the  mission  and  the  growth  of  the 
church  at  Kang  E  (8)  was  given  in  the  previous  chapter. 
The  opening  of  the  mission  at  Sin  Hu  (9),  an  important 
market  town  about  six  miles  northwest  of  Kityang  was 
the  last  important  centre  opened  from  this  central  station. 
The  progress  of  the  gospel  at  Sin  Hu  is  typical  of  several 


Churches  and  Outstations  293 

Kityang  outstations.     In  the  year  1902  the  missionary  in 
charge  felt  that  a  market-town  in  the  centre  of  several 
hundreds  of  villages  ought  to  be  a  good  field  for  evangel- 
istic  effort.     Frequent  visits   to  the  market  soon  bore 
fruit  in  gathering  together  persons  interested  in  the  gos- 
pel.    A  house  was  leased  for  the  use  of  a  chapel,  and 
within  a  few  months  some  of  the  business  men  of  the 
place  became  regular  attendants  at  the  services.     Two  of 
them  made  considerable  progress  in  spiritual  thmgs  and 
gave  evidence  of  the  religious  and  moral  change  takmg 
place  within  them.     The  business  men  proposed  to  build 
a  suitable  house  of  worship  and  made  the  followmg  offer. 
One  would  supply  all  the  material  for  the  walls  of  the 
building,  a  second  became  responsible  for  all  the  lumber 
needed,  and  a  third  was  willing  to  supply  the  material  for 
the   roof,  on  condition  that  the  congregation  paid  the 
wages  of  the  workmen  and  the  foreign  missionary  bought  a 
suitable  site.     The  undertaking  was  carried  out  success- 
fully and  to-day  an  attractive  house  of  worship  stands  in 
the  market  of  Sin  Hu.     The  fact  that  the  Chinese  them- 
selves have  been  the  leading  spirits   in  this   work  has 
placed  this  station  very  high  in  the  estimation  of  many 
who  were  somewhat  prejudiced  against  the  foreigner.     It 
is  a  sound  poHcy  of  Christian  missions  for  the  foreign 
missionary  to   remain   in   the  background  and  let  the 
natives  come  forward  to  assume  responsibilities.     When 
the  Chinese  have  invested  a  good  deal  of  their  money  it 
always  helps  to  make  them  careful  in  regard  to  the  well- 
being  of  their  mission  or  local  church.     During  the  past 
year  or  two  a  place  of  prayer  has  been  maintained  in  the 
village  of  Gi  Chu  (10),  not  very  far  from  the  market. 
The  quest  for  deeper  knowledge  of  Christian  truth  at  this 
place  is  worthy  of  special  notice. 


294      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Chimkhe  (B)  is  not  a  strategic  centre  as  to  its  geo- 
graphical position.  The  market  town  of  Li-O  (H), 
situated  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  must  ultimately 
prove  to  be  the  more  important  centre  of  the  two  places. 
But  the  power  of  the  gospel  upon  the  Hves  and  customs 
of  the  people  at  Chimkhe  had  been  so  marked  and  had 
become  so  noted  to  the  people  in  many  sections  round 
about,  that  the  church  at  Chimkhe  has  been  a  power- 
ful centre  of  missionary  activity  and  has  become  a  mother 
church  to  quite  a  number  of  other  churches  and  missions. 
The  Christians  of  Chimkhe  have  only  recently  estab- 
lished a  place  of  prayer  in  one  of  the  other  forty-four 
villages  inhabited  by  their  clan.  The  place  is  called 
Teng  Liau  (ii),  /.  e.,  the  "  upper  hamlet." 

The  story  of  how  the  people  living  in  the  villages  of 
Chiang  Mui  came  to  Chimkhe  to  hear  the  gospel  has 
been  told  in  a  previous  lecture.  Some  of  the  Christians 
at  Chimkhe  and  Chiang  Mui  had  established  business  in- 
terests in  the  market  town  of  Li-0  (H)  and  it  was  but  a 
question  of  time  when  this  new  light  would  make  itself 
felt  in  that  place.  Meanwhile  the  Christians  and  adher- 
ents of  Chiang  Mui  living  a  few  miles  away  were  desir- 
ous of  having  a  place  of  prayer  in  their  own  village  of 
Sin  Liau  (13).  The  church  at  Chiang  Mui  also  had  the 
sagacity  to  occupy  from  the  very  beginning  the  market 
of  Bue  Tng  (14).  Disastrous  clan  fights  defeated  the  aims 
of  the  mission  at  this  point.  The  people  there  had  to 
learn  to  make  a  distinction  between  the  methods  of  the 
French  and  those  of  the  American  mission. 

The  town  of  Mio  (C)  proved  to  be  a  strategic  point  of 
missionary  propaganda  second  only  to  the  city  of  Kit- 
yang  itself.  Since  the  opening  of  the  renovated  temple 
in  1898  three  congregations  have  been  branched  off  from 


Churches  and  Outstations  295 

that  centre.  In  1899  the  Christians  and  adherents  of  Cie 
Chng  (15)  established  their  Sunday  worship  in  their  own 
village.  They  had  been  attracted  by  the  results  of  the 
gospel  among  the  Chimkhe  people  and  had  at  first  at- 
tended religious  services  there,  but  when  the  Mio  mis- 
sion was  opened  they  then  had  but  one-third  of  the  dis- 
tance to  go  for  worship.  These  people  were  in  a  large 
measure  the  backbone  of  the  early  Mio  mission  and 
stood  faithfully  by  the  side  of  the  foreign  missionary  in 
the  matter  of  obtaining  the  "  haunted  "  temple  for  use  as 
a  house  of  worship.  One  of  the  leading  members  of  this 
church  has  opened  a  place  of  prayer  in  his  village  a  few 
miles  distant  (16). 

Ua  Jin  (17)  is  an  interesting  and  instructive  station. 
It  shows  us  that  a  body  of  Christians,  small  in  number, 
may  yet  produce  results  that  surprise  even  the  Chinese 
themselves.  The  people  of  Ua  Jin  had  become  weary  of 
the  desolation  and  death  caused  by  the  constant  inter- 
clan  fights  in  their  district.  A  number  of  young  men, 
members  of  substantial  families,  came  to  Mio  to  hear 
the  gospel  message  and  soon  brought  some  of  their 
elders  to  the  services  also.  The  people  were  wealthy 
and  after  due  time  made  application  to  open  a  mission 
station  among  the  several  thousands  of  their  own  people. 
Some  of  these  men  did  not  know  the  full  import  of  their 
request.  They  hoped  to  escape  the  consequences  of  the 
clan  fight,  with  which  they  had  nothing  in  common,  but 
for  which,  as  well-to-do  members  of  the  community,  they 
knew  that  they  would  be  the  marked  persons  of  the  gov- 
ernment official  when  the  day  of  reckoning  arrived. 
Fortunately  they  escaped  the  expected  "  squeeze  "  of  the 
government  officials  but  the  truths  of  the  gospel  of  Christ 
meanwhile  had  so  taken  hold  of  some  of  them  that  they 


296      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

refused  to  have  anything  in  common  with  idolatry  and 
ancestor  worship.  When  this  became  known  there  was 
consternation  in  the  villages  of  Ua  Jin.  The  gentry, 
who  at  one  time  even  professed  to  be  favourably  in- 
clined towards  Christianity,  threw  aside  their  false  pre- 
tenses and  exerted  their  influence  on  the  Christians  to 
make  them  give  up  their  intentions  of  breaking  away 
from  ancestor  worship.  They  even  went  as  far  as  to 
advise  the  Christians  to  remain  true  to  the  forms  of  the 
Christian  truths  but  not  at  the  cost  of  ancestor  worship. 
Failing  in  this  they  threatened  to  use  measures  which 
would  be  disastrous  to  the  Christians.  One  man  had  a 
large  number  of  olive  trees  and  in  a  single  night  a  good 
portion  of  them  were  stripped  of  their  bark  and  the  de- 
struction of  the  valuable  trees  resulted.  But  it  did  not 
destroy  his  faith  in  God.  That  same  man  has  since 
given  considerable  towards  the  building  of  a  chapel  in 
his  own  village.  Objections  were  at  one  time  made 
against  the  site  upon  which  the  chapel  was  to  be  erected, 
but  nothing  happened  when  the  local  congregation  went 
ahead  and  erected  the  building.  Ua  Jin  will  soon  be  a 
self-supporting  congregation.  The  members  are  able  to 
carry  on  their  church  work  independent  of  the  preacher 
usually  in  charge  of  the  work.  The  man  who  preaches 
to  this  congregation  must  be  above  the  average  as  a 
student  of  the  Bible. 

Almost  exactly  the  reverse  of  this  may  be  said  of  the 
Christians  at  O  Bue  (18).  At  this  place  the  disciples 
have  not  been  able  to  profit  by  the  petty  persecutions  of 
their  neighbours.  The  people  are  wretchedly  poor  and 
are  the  constant  victims  of  the  grossest  superstitions.  A 
"  place  of  prayer "  has  been  established  in  the  largest 
village  not  very  far  from  the  chapel.     It  is  possible  that 


Churches  and  Outstations  297 

this  station  will  be  merged  with  the  Cie  Chng  mission. 
If  both  could  be  persuaded  to  unite,  a  self-supporting 
church  would  result. 

Gueh  Sia  (D)  was  established  as  a  distinct  congrega- 
tion many  years  before  a  missionary  was  sent  to  Kityang. 
Rev.  Wm.  Ashmore,  D.  D.,  had  established  up  to  that 
period  (1895),  besides  the  Kityang  and  Gueh  Sia  mis- 
sions, the  Peh  Thah  (E),  Sua  O  (F)  and  Hua  Cheng  (G) 
congregations  in  the  northern  part  of  the  Kityang  field. 
As  will  be  seen  from  the  chart  they  have  since  become 
centres  of  successful  church  planting.  Gueh  Sia  church 
has  established  three  local  churches,  one  mission  and  five 
places  of  prayer  since  1896.  The  first  of  these  three, 
the  congregation  at  Gu  Phi  Lang  (20)  has  not  been  suc- 
cessful in  exerting  a  virile  influence,  but  a  successful  place 
of  prayer  has  been  established  at  Toa  Peh  (21). 

The  church  at  Toa  Thau  Nia  (22)  is  a  vigorous  body ; 
it  is  in  a  strategic  centre  and  has  a  very  bright  outlook. 
Two  places  of  prayer  are  maintained  by  it,  Gu  Lo 
Thau  (23)  and  Sang  Sua  (24).  The  church  at  Tek  Kie  (25) 
has  been  a  gathering-place  for  a  number  of  the  gentry 
and  scholars.  The  pastor  of  this  church  is  above  the 
average  in  abihty  to  draw  men  of  this  class.  Still  it 
would  be  very  difficult  to  say  that  the  church  is  in  any 
way  stronger  because  of  this  element  in  the  congrega- 
tion. The  difficulties  that  this  class  of  people  bring  to 
Christian  missions  are  numerous ;  let  the  following  case 
suffice.  A  few  years  ago  one  of  the  gentry,  an  adherent, 
was  invited  to  feast  with  the  district  magistrate.  This 
was  considered  a  great  honour.  At  the  close  of  the  feast 
the  magistrate  notified  the  man,  who  was  also  one  of  the 
responsible  elders  of  the  Tek  Kie  villages,  that  he  would 
have  to  remain  in  the  yamen,  a  prisoner,  until  he  could 


298      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

clear  himself  of  the  charge  of  teaching  and  helping  the 
clan  at  Tek  Kie  to  prepare  for  extensive  warfare.  The 
man  was  undoubtedly  innocent  of  the  charge,  but  the 
Kityang  magistrate  had  received  orders  to  come  to  Can- 
ton to  celebrate  the  viceroy's  birthday.  He  knew  that 
he  could  not  go  to  Canton  without  a  substantial  present 
for  his  superior.  Being  short  of  funds  at  the  time,  he 
examined  a  list  of  the  wealthy  men  of  the  district  and  in- 
vited among  a  few  others  the  gentry  from  Tek  Kie. 
Strong  efforts  were  made  to  get  the  foreign  missionary 
at  Kityang  to  see  the  magistrate  about  this  case  and  to 
save  the  man  from  his  clutches.  But  the  missionary 
could  not  see  his  way  clear  to  do  so  and  thus  disap- 
pointed a  large  number  of  friends,  who  thought  the 
American  missionary  ought  occasionally  do  what  the 
French  missionary  frequently  did.  This  man  of  Tek  Kie 
was  released  from  his  chains  and  imprisonment  upon 
paying  a  squeeze  of  a  thousand  dollars.  The  fact  that 
the  missionary  failed  to  come  to  his  rescue  in  the  time 
of  need  caused  some  to  fall  away  and  to  discontinue 
attending  the  religious  services.  The  absence  of  such 
men,  however,  is  more  a  relief  to  Christian  missions  in 
China  than  a  loss.  The  place  of  prayer  maintained  by 
a  few  of  the  peasant  Christians  at  the  old  village  of 
Tek  Kie,  Lau  Ce  (26),  a  half-mile  distant  from  the  chapel, 
has  proved  a  far  more  helpful  force  for  the  spread  of  the 
gospel  than  many  of  the  so-called  adherents  of  the 
gentry.  Christian  education  and  training  are  the  direct 
results  by  reason  of  these  places  of  prayer.  The  gen- 
try, on  the  other  hand,  impressed  by  their  own  impor- 
tance, do  not  learn  readily  at  the  cross  of  the  crucified 
Saviour.  The  church  at  Gueh  Sia,  since  establishing 
the   above  mentioned  churches,  has  again   opened   two 


Churches  and  Outstations  299 

places  of  prayer,  one  at  Chim  Pho  (27),  the  other  at 
Khoi  Poi  (28). 

The  church  at  Peh  Thah  has  been  sterile  for  a  long 
time.  Only  during  the  past  few  years  have  the  Christians 
at  that  place  shown  a  true  missionary  spirit  in  establishing 
places  of  prayer.  The  one  maintained  in  the  town  of 
Cui  Liau  Po  (29)  is  on  the  border  line  of  another  tribe  of 
Chinese,  who  speak  a  different  dialect.  The  other  is  at 
Be  Khu  (30),  a  town  near  the  banks  of  the  south  branch 
of  the  Kityang  River.  Several  years  ago  our  mission 
had  a  foothold  in  this  town ;  there  were  at  that  time  a 
number  of  women  who  had  become  adherents,  but  the 
mission  for  some  reason  was  not  continued.  In  1902  a 
number  of  men  came  to  Peh  Thah  church  and  showed 
much  interest.  The  motives,  however,  that  led  them  to 
come  were  not  of  the  best.  The  different  families  of  their 
clan  were  at  odds  with  one  another,  and  though  the  mis- 
sion has  tried  to  keep  clear  of  any  connection  with  the 
local  situation,  various  troubles  have  since  arisen  at  that 
place  which  go  to  prove  that  such  opportunities  require 
the  utmost  caution  on  the  part  of  the  foreign  missionary. 
The  Christians  of  Be  Khu  have  tried  to  erect  a  meeting- 
and  schoolhouse  but  have  been  hindered  by  their  own 
people  from  completing  the  building. 

The  Sua  O  (F)  church  is  to-day  one  of  the  strongest  and 
most  substantial  of  all  the  local  churches  on  the  Kityang 
field.  The  church  maintains  a  prosperous  mission  at  Tng 
Khe  Ui  (31);  two  places  of  prayer  in  connection  with 
the  mission  Gu  Na  Thau  (32)  and  Cie  le  Lo  (33);  also 
a  place  of  prayer  at  Peh  Cieh  (34).  This  expansion  of 
missionary  activity  of  the  Sua  O  church  has  taken  place 
since  the  Boxer  revolt ;  the  same  is  also  true  of  some  of 
the  other  churches. 


300      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

The  Hua  Cheng  (G)  church  as  a  strategic  centre  is  of 
minor  importance.  In  1896  a  mission  was  estabhshed 
in  the  important  town  of  Siah  Tie  (35)  with  a  popula- 
tion of  10,000  people.  Though  this  church  is  not  yet  as 
strong  as  her  mother  church,  she  will  necessarily  take  a 
greater  share  in  the  diffusion  of  the  gospel  throughout 
that  vicinity  than  the  church  of  Hua  Cheng,  which  is 
secluded  in  a  little  hamlet  with  a  population  of  about  300 
people.  The  Christians  of  Siah  Tie  are  poor  and  have 
found  it  rather  difficult  to  support  a  preacher.  A  mem- 
ber of  the  church,  a  boatman,  has  considerable  gift  as  a 
preacher,  and  has  served  the  church  for  the  past  three 
years  in  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  The  Siah  Tie 
church  is  therefore  a  self-sustaining  rather  than  a  self- 
supporting  church.  The  Hua  Cheng  Christians  have 
established  a  place  of  prayer  in  the  larger  village  of  Hua 
Cheng  (36),  about  one-half  mile  distant  from  the  chapel. 
This  place  of  worship  has  caused  the  Christians  much 
tribulation,  as  their  pagan  neighbours  strongly  objected  to 
a  Christian  place  of  worship  in  the  larger  and  more  im- 
portant village  of  Hua  Cheng.  The  Christians  may,  if 
they  desire,  come  together  for  worship  in  one  of  the 
minor  villages  of  Hua  Cheng,  but  they  must  not  be  tol- 
erated in  the  place  where  the  gentry  and  the  important 
people  live.  However,  in  spite  of  their  opposition  and 
persecutions,  the  Christians  are  holding  their  own  and 
will  yet  make  a  place  for  themselves  in  that  community. 
Every  foot  of  ground  is  contested,  every  advance  shown 
on  the  chart  has  caused  persecution  and  even  bloodshed, 
but  the  victory  has  always  been  with  the  Church. 

The  opening  of  the  market-town  of  Li-O  (H)  as  a  centre 
of  missionary  activity  was  brought  about  by  the  Chimkhe 
and  the  Chiang  Mui  Christians  who  had  business  interests 


Churches  and  Outstations  301 

at  that  place.  It  was  this  important  centre  with  which 
the  clan  at  Chimkhe  had  had  a  clan  fight  and  lawsuit  at  the 
time  they  came  to  the  Kityang  missionary  to  urge  him 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  them.  Many  of  the  people  hoped 
at  that  time  that  they  might  be  able  to  persuade  the  mis- 
sionary to  take  sides  against  the  people  at  Li-0,  and  if 
possible,  even  urge  the  magistrate  to  take  the  Li-O  people 
in  hand  instead  of  the  Chimkhe  people.  It  has  been 
narrated  how  the  missionary  expressed  his  opinions  very 
frankly  to  them  on  that  subject  and  even  suggested  the 
hope  that  within  a  few  years  he  might  be  able  to  give 
the  gospel  of  Christ  to  the  Li-0  people  also.  Only  four 
years  later  this  hope  was  realized.  Not  only  was  the 
missionary  eager  to  give  them  the  gospel  but  a  number  of 
the  Chimkhe  people,  also  their  former  enemies,  were  now 
as  zealous  to  carry  out  this  plan.  Within  a  short  time  a 
family  of  good  standing  Hving  at  Li-0  united  with  the 
mission  and  the  work  was  more  than  encouraging  in  the 
fact  that  a  number  of  peasants  from  the  neighbouring  vil- 
lages became  regular  attendants.  The  tea  planters  from 
Peh  Cui  Tsai  (37),  who  formerly  went  to  Chimkhe  to 
worship,  now  came  to  Li-0,  and  in  1903  established  a 
mission  of  their  own  among  their  secluded  villages  in  the 
hills.  Here  again  the  motives  that  led  these  people,  at 
first,  to  seek  the  teachings  of  the  gospel  were  not  alto- 
gether pure.  They  had  had  trouble  with  the  villages  at 
the  foot  of  their  hills  and  by  some  peculiar  reasoning 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  could  better  their  con- 
dition if  they  became  Christians.  They  have  now  been 
adherents  and  Christians  for  a  number  of  years,  but  still 
the  enem.y  continues  to  make  it  unpleasant  for  them  as 
they  pass  through  his  dreaded  territory.  In  estabHshing 
a  mission  among  the  hills  they  had  less  occasion  to  trav- 


302      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  In  China 

erse  the  territory  of  their  enemies  than  when  they  went 
to  Li-0.  They  have  since  opened  a  place  of  prayer 
among  a  neighbouring  clan,  also  tea  planters,  living  on 
the  hillside  only  a  few  miles  distant  at  Ang  Chu  (38). 
Apart  from  this  growth  the  Li-O  mission  has  also  estab- 
lished a  place  of  prayer  at  Tek  Thau  (39)  which  has  been 
a  very  great  aid  in  the  development  of  the  Christians  in 
that  vicinity. 

As  the  Boxer  troubles  were  being  adjusted  the  prob- 
ability of  a  great  opportunity  to  spread  the  gospel  among 
the  people  became  evident  to  all  foreign  missionaries  in 
China.  The  thought  of  further  expansion  of  the  Kityang 
mission  gave  rise  to  serious  reflection  by  the  missionary 
in  charge.  Questions  as  to  the  source  from  which  to  get 
reliable  evangelists  and  preachers,  and  also  the  concom- 
itant problem,  whence  to  get  funds  for  the  enlarged 
work,  presented  themselves  in  advance.  Would  it  be 
wise  to  carry  on  the  entire  extension  with  foreign  money  ? 
If  not,  how  could  the  Chinese  churches  and  outstations 
be  enlisted  to  take  a  share  in  this,  their  own  work  ?  At 
this  time,  1901,  a  letter  was  received  from  people  living 
in  a  town  fifty-seven  miles  from  Kityang,  asking  that  the 
missionary  come  to  their  place  with  native  evangelists  to 
preach.  The  following  week  certain  Christians  at  Li-O 
asked  that  some  effort  be  made  to  establish  a  mission  in 
an  important  market-town  southwest  of  Li-O,  where  a 
number  of  their  own  kindred  lived.  It  proved  that  the 
place  to  which  the  missionary  was  invited  and  the  place 
mentioned  by  the  Li-O  Christians  was  one  and  the  same, 
Kue  Tham  (40).  A  trip  was  taken  to  that  place  and 
also  further  westward  into  the  Weichow  district.  The 
needs  of  a  great  field  and  the  possibilities  of  a  large 
missionary  undertaking  became  evident.     The  Kityang 


Churches  and  Outstations  303 

churches  were  at  once  told  of  the  Macedonian  call  of  the 
great  field  that  had  hitherto  been  left  untouched  by  the 
mission  and  the  eagerness  with  which  the  gospel  had  been 
received  by  the  people  who  have  been  visited  was  clearly 
explained.  The  churches  were  asked  to  pray  during  the 
following  few  weeks  regarding  the  organization  of  a 
Chinese  missionary  society,  to  take  upon  itself  the  re- 
sponsibility of  the  Weichow  field.  The  churches  were 
to  raise  all  the  money  necessary  to  carry  on  the  work. 
They  were  to  choose  and  send  their  own  evangelists  and 
were  to  hold  two  mission  rallies  every  year  in  order  to 
hear  reports  of  the  progress  of  their  work.  When  the 
time  came  for  the  consideration  of  the  matter,  there  was 
considerable  enthusiasm  shown  by  nearly  every  delegate 
present.  The  missionary  society  was  organized  and  the 
first  evangelist  under  the  auspices  of  the  missionary 
society  sent  into  the  Weichow.  In  organizing  this 
society  the  churches  built  wiser  than  they  or  the  mission- 
ary could  at  that  time  understand.  No  one  factor  has 
proved  to  be  such  a  power  in  unifying  the  numerous 
churches  and  outstations,  with  one  aim  and  purpose,  as 
the  organization  of  this  missionary  society.  This  can  be 
fully  appreciated  only  by  those  who  understand  the 
narrowness  and  clannishness  of  the  average  Chinese. 
The  enlarged  field  of  missionary  endeavour  has  proved  to 
be  a  safety-valve  for  the  Kityang  mission  in  that  it  offered 
to  the  Chinese  co-workers,  men  of  ability  and  capable  of 
larger  things  than  remaining  under  the  direction  and  pay 
of  the  foreign  missionary,  a  field  for  the  exercise  of  their 
gifts.  But  of  still  greater  importance,  the  organization  of 
the  missionary  society  has  helped  the  churches  to  realize 
the  share  that  is  theirs  in  the  conquest  of  their  native 
country  for  Christ.     The  reflex  influence  of  this  mission- 


304      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

ary  zeal  upon  the  local  churches  has  been  very  evident, 
not  only  in  the  positive  advance  towards  self-support  of 
all  the  churches  themselves  but  also  in  the  deepening  of 
the  spiritual  life  of  the  Christians.  It  ought  to  be  added 
also  that  the  number  of  converts  has  been  increased  very 
much  since  the  organization  of  the  missionary  society. 

The  first  mission  undertaken  by  the  native  society  was 
at  Kue  Tham  (40)  an  important  market  town  near  the 
border-line  of  the  Weichow.  The  preacher  chosen  to  go 
to  this  field  was  specially  fitted  for  the  work,  and  in  spite 
of  many  difficulties  was  soon  able  to  gather  a  respectable 
number  of  business  men  of  Kue  Tham  as  adherents.  The 
interests  at  this  place  have  developed.  A  boys'  school 
was  established  a  few  years  ago,  and  a  number  of  peasants 
living  in  a  village  several  miles  distant,  have  established 
a  place  of  prayer  (41).  The  leader  of  this  undertaking, 
A  Teng,  has  since  been  baptized  and  has  united  with  the 
church. 

Within  a  year  several  invitations  from  men  attending 
services  at  Kue  Tham  had  been  sent  to  the  missionary 
society  to  open  gospel  centres  in  their  towns.  Before 
opening  outstations  in  the  Weichow  it  was  necessary  to 
make  a  careful  study  of  all  the  principal  cities  and  towns 
in  that  large  territory  in  order  to  plan  wisely  for  occupy- 
ing strategic  points  as  centres.  A  trip  from  Kityang  to 
Canton  overland  through  the  entire  length  of  the  Weichow 
was  made  by  the  missionary  and  three  native  co-workers. 
When  the  opportunities  to  preach  the  gospel  offered  the 
itinerating  party  could  only  travel  but  a  few  miles  a  day. 
When,  however,  as  was  sometimes  the  case,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  travel  through  a  country  sparsely  settled  or  where 
the  language  of  the  people  was  entirely  different,  a  dis- 
tance of  from  twenty  to  thirty  miles  would  be  covered  on 


Churches  and  Outstations  305 

foot.  The  itinerants  always  lodged  at  the  public  inns  for 
there  they  often  found  opportunity  of  getting  valuable 
information  and  also  preaching  the  gospel  to  many  people. 
The  trip  required  over  a  month's  time.  When  the  mis- 
sionary society  came  together  for  its  semiannual  meeting 
it  was  decided  to  appoint  an  additional  evangelist  and  to 
open  a  new  mission  at  Lok  Fung  (I),  the  capital  city  of 
a  county  of  the  same  name.  The  people  of  that  city  and 
of  the  surrounding  country  are  without  doubt  among  the 
most  turbulent  in  all  the  eastern  part  of  Kwangtung 
province.  The  visiting  missionary  has  hardly  ever  come 
to  that  city  without  finding  the  people  engaged  in  some 
struggle.  Oftentimes  it  would  be  a  fight  between  the 
various  clans  struggling  for  supremacy ;  then  again  there 
would  be  an  uprising  against  the  soldier  and  yamen- 
runners  and  even  against  the  government  official  himself. 
At  one  time  all  the  Catholic  converts  of  that  district  were 
compelled  to  flee  for  their  lives  because  a  French  priest 
had  taken  sides  in  a  lawsuit  contrary  to  the  interests  of 
the  people  ;  when  the  bishop  of  that  territory  attempted 
to  visit  the  city  the  people  would  not  allow  him  to  come. 
At  another  time  the  traders  and  shop-keepers  of  the  old 
and  the  new  markets  would  renew  their  feuds  and  a  fierce 
conflict  would  result,  lasting  days  at  a  time,  making  all 
communication  in  the  city  and  vicinity  impossible.  It 
required  courage  and  tact  on  the  part  of  the  native 
preacher  to  carry  on  a  successful  mission  work  among 
such  a  people.  The  native  society  has  from  the  begin- 
ning selected  the  strongest  and  safest  men  possible  to 
preach  the  gospel  at  this  storm  centre. 

The  opening  of  the  mission  at  Lok  Fung  city  at- 
tracted a  large  number  of  men  from  various  parts  of  the 
Lok  Fung  and  Hai  Fung  counties.     Men  came  thirty 


3o6      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

and  more  miles  to  hear  the  gospel  message.  Owing 
to  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  entire  region  at  that 
time,  due  to  clan  fights  and  highway  robberies,  the  peo- 
ple were  unable  to  come  with  such  regularity  as  is  indis- 
pensable to  insure  satisfactory  results.  The  missionary 
society  on  account  of  these  conditions  voted  to  open  a 
mission  at  Ke  Khau  (42),  a  town  in  a  populous  district 
nearly  eighteen  miles  west  from  Lok  Fung.  The  prog- 
ress at  Ke  Khau,  however,  has  not  been  very  great.  A 
place  of  prayer  has  been  established  at  Toa  Lo,  a  village 
several  miles  away,  with  the  prospects  that  the  work  may 
prosper  more  there  than  at  Ke  Khau. 

The  third  year  of  the  native  missionary  society  wit- 
nessed a  still  greater  growth  and  expansion.  Some 
members  of  the  Board  of  Directors  who  were  in  a  way 
responsible  for  the  raising  of  funds  to  carry  on  the  work 
in  the  Weichow  were  very  doubtful  as  to  the  wisdom  of 
sending  five  evangelists  into  the  field  during  the  year. 
The  Kityang  churches  decided  to  send  the  men  and 
raised  the  money  needed  to  pay  their  salaries.  Last  year 
some  of  the  same  directors  favoured  and  helped  forward 
the  plan  of  sending  ten  men  into  Weichow.  There  was 
no  debt  at  the  close  of  the  year.  In  1903  four  mission 
stations  were  opened.  The  first,  Toa  Ue  (44),  a  secluded 
town  where  a  considerable  number  of  adherents  were  de- 
sirous of  better  opportunities  than  an  occasional  visit  to 
the  chapel  at  Lok  Fung,  became  a  regular  outstation. 
The  following  year  a  new  station  was  opened  at  Phu 
Thau  (45),  only  a  few  miles  away.  The  Christians  at 
both  places  were  persuaded  to  unite  in  calling  the  same 
preacher,  who  was  to  visit  Sin  Chu  (46)  also.  Oppor- 
tunities for  preaching  the  gospel  in  many  places  and  the 
limited  number  of  evangelists  and  preachers  made  it  nee- 


Churches  and  Outstations  307 

essary  to  adopt  this  method  of  economy  in  designating 
the  men  for  the  time  being, 

Kong  Pheng  (47),  one  of  the  most  important  market 
centres  in  the  Hai  Fung  county,  was  occupied  a  few 
months  after  Ke  Khau.  Considerable  elementary  teach- 
ing has  been  necessary  at  this  place,  due  to  misconcep- 
tions on  the  part  of  the  people  as  to  the  functions  of  the 
Christian  church.  The  French  Catholic  converts  at  this 
place  make  much  display  of  the  power  of  their  priest, 
thus  causing  envy  and  even  a  desire  on  part  of  the 
weaker  adherents  to  emulate  them  as  regards  their  mis- 
sionary. This  has  naturally  hindered  the  progress  of  the 
gospel  in  all  the  surrounding  villages. 

The  system  of  opening  places  of  prayer  for  the  Chris- 
tians and  adherents  isolated  from  the  fellowship  of  the 
weekly  church  meetings  has  proved  to  be  such  a  positive 
force  in  the  development  of  the  Kityang  mission  that  the 
same  method  has  been  continued  in  the  Weichow  field 
also.  Some  of  the  adherents  attending  services  at  Lok 
Fung  established  a  place  of  prayer  in  their  own  town  of 
O  Kham  (48)  ;  they  hope  to  be  able  to  have  an  evangelist 
stationed  there  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  thousands  liv- 
ing in  that  region. 

Hun  Loh  (49)  a  market  town  situated  on  the  main  road 
of  travel  between  Li-O  and  Kue  Tham  was  also  opened 
this  same  year  as  a  mission  centre.  The  preachers  on 
their  way  to  Weichow  always  pass  through  this  place 
and  their  short  visits  resulted  in  much  good.  A  num- 
ber of  Christians  and  adherents  have  been  gathered  at 
this  point. 

The  most  important  centre  growing  out  of  the  Lok 
Fung  mission  was  the  district  city  of  Hai  Fung  (J).  The 
city  has  about  40,000  inhabitants  and  is  surrounded  by 


3o8      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

hundreds  of  towns  and  villages.  Hai  Fung,  though 
smaller  in  population  than  Kityang,  has  almost  the  same 
strategic  advantages  for  becoming  a  great  centre  of 
Christian  missionary  effort.  It  has  in  a  measure  become 
so  already.  A  glance  at  the  chart  will  show  that  quite  a 
number  of  outstations  have  grown  out  from  this  centre. 
The  adherents  at  Chang  Ki  (50)  had  attended  religious 
services  at  Lok  Fung  at  first,  but  are  now  closely  con- 
nected with  the  Hai  Fung  work,  which  is  much  nearer  to 
their  place.  The  gospel  message  has  spread  from  this 
point  to  Chiap  Cheng  (51),  an  important  military  city, 
which  must,  owing  to  its  commanding  position,  also  be- 
come a  powerful  centre  for  Christian  missions. 

When  the  missionary  society  decided  to  open  Chiah 
Chieh  as  a  gospel  centre,  it  reached  out  as  far  as  the  dia- 
lect spoken  by  themselves  extends.  Chiah  Chieh  (52)  is 
a  large  market-town  near  the  border-line  between  the 
Cantonese  and  Swatow  dialects.  The  place  is  about  150 
miles  west  of  Kityang.  From  the  latter  station  reaching 
out  to  Chiah  Chieh,  there  are  at  least  i  ,500,000  or  2,000,000 
people.  God  has  given  the  Kityang  missionary  society  a 
large  field,  but  they  can  do  the  work  better  than  any 
number  of  foreigners.  There  are  now  about  900  baptized 
Christians  and  about  3,000  adherents  connected  with  this 
network  of  outstations.  One  half  and  more  of  the  900 
have  been  baptized  since  the  formation  of  the  missionary 
society,  though  no  converts, excepting  about  ten,have  been 
received  from  the  Weichow  up  to  the  present  time.  The 
native  missionary  society  as  well  as  the  foreign  mission- 
ary believe  in  laying  a  good  foundation  before  receiving 
men  and  women  into  the  church,  even  though  it  take  five 
times  five  years  to  do  so. 

Of  second  importance  only  to  the  district  city  of  Hai 


Churches  and  Outstations  309 

Fung  itself  is  the  seaport  town  of  Sua  Bue  (53).  The 
place  is  one  of  the  many  commissariats  of  Hongkong. 
The  Kityang  missionary  society  looks  forward  to  the  es- 
tablishing of  a  strong  church  at  this  centre  which  shall  in 
turn  exert  a  powerful  influence  in  the  many  towns  and 
villages  of  the  vicinity. 

The  training  which  the  Weichow  mission  offers  the 
Chinese  preachers  cannot  be  overestimated.  It  has 
brought  out  the  latent  abilities  of  many  of  the  younger 
men.  The  dangers  to  life  and  limb  in  having  to  travel 
through  districts  infested  with  highway  robbers,  and  the 
assuming  of  great  responsibilities,  have  called  out  the 
best  that  was  in  a  number  of  our  young  preachers. 
Many  of  them  have  become  strong  and  trustworthy. 

As  the  necessity  of  a  furlough  for  the  missionary  be- 
gan to  make  itself  felt  in  no  uncertain  way,  a  new  crisis  in 
the  development  of  the  mission  presented  itself.  Every 
missionary  in  the  South  China  Mission  had  more  work  on 
his  hands  than  was  good  for  him  and  it  was  useless,  there- 
fore, to  try  to  obtain  the  aid  of  a  foreigner  who  could 
give  his  entire  attention  to  this  vast  field.  The  convic- 
tion began  to  impress  itself  upon  the  missionary  that  the 
Chinese  leaders  and  preachers  ought  to  be  invited  to  as- 
sume the  responsibihties  of  the  entire  work  during  the 
furlough  of  their  missionary.  This  would  not  only  be  a 
splendid  opportunity  for  the  further  development  of  their 
gifts,  but  it  would  also  be  a  test  for  every  preacher  and 
leader  to  show  whether  he  could  be  trusted  without  hav- 
ing the  eye  of  the  missionary  upon  him.  An  under- 
standing was  effected  with  the  home  board  and  Rev. 
W.  Ashmore,  Jr.,  D.  D.,  at  Swatow%  who  should  come 
to  the  aid  of  the  Christians  if  any  severe  crisis  should 
happen.     Otherwise  the  prosecution  of  the  work  should 


31  o      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

rest  upon  each  pastor,  preacher,  teacher  and  evangelist 
and  upon  the  churches  themselves.  When  the  churches 
and  the  leaders  were  taken  into  confidence  regarding  this 
plan  it  was  urged  that  they  owed  it  to  their  God,  to  them- 
selves, to  their  fellow  countrymen  and  to  the  American 
Christians  to  prove  that  they  possessed  spiritual  gifts  and 
were  able  to  stand  in  the  faith  and  carry  on  their  own 
work,  even  though  the  missionary  were  absent  for  a  time. 
The  appeal  struck  home.  There  was  a  hearty  response. 
As  the  missionary  left  the  field  he  felt  that  it  was  proper 
that  the  work  should  undergo  the  test.  If  the  principles 
carried  out  during  the  nine  years  of  his  ministry  were  not 
sound  the  sooner  he  became  enlightened  on  that  point 
the  better  it  would  be  for  all  concerned.  The  reports 
that  came  to  the  missionary  in  this  country  showed  that 
the  Chinese  Christians  are  true  to  their  calling.  There 
was  no  occasion  for  seeking  the  aid  of  the  foreign  mis- 
sionary for  help  in  lawsuits  or  other  trouble.  The  native 
missionary  society  carried  on  its  work  with  vigour.  It  is 
reported  that  two  new  outstations  were  opened  during 
the  year  in  the  Weichow.  The  year  was  closed  without 
a  debt,  though  the  expenses  were  heavier  in  the  Weichow 
than  ever  before. 

There  are  many  problems  to  solve  in  connection  with 
the  further  development  of  these  churches  and  outstations. 
One  of  the  most  important  of  all  is  the  educational.  A 
Christian  school  must  be  established  alongside  every  mis- 
sion station.  The  problems  connected  with  the  source  of 
supply  for  preachers  and  evangehsts  for  the  ever  expand- 
ing work  will  be  considered  hereafter,  likewise  also  the 
problem  of  ordaining  men  to  be  pastors  and  the  question 
of  self-support  of  the  local  churches,  all  vital  subjects. 


IV 

PROBLEMS  OF  THE   CHINESE   LOCAL 
CHURCHES 


XVn.      Intensive  and  Extensive  Methods  of  the 
Kingdom. 

XVIII.  The  Chinese  Church  and  the  Foreign  Mis- 

sionary. 

XIX.  Chinese  Local  Churches;   Self-Supporting 

AND  SeLF-SuSTAINING. 

XX.  Chinese  Preachers,  Their  Call  to  the  Min- 

istry AND  Their  Training. 


XVII 

INTENSIVE   AND   EXTENSIVE    METHODS   OF   THE 
KINGDOM 

Jesus  Christ  taught  His  disciples  both  the  intensive  and 
the  extensive  method  of  establishing  the  kingdom  of  God 
among  men.  He  emphasized  the  intensive  aspect  when 
he  told  His  disciples  ♦*  the  kingdom  of  God  is  among 
you";  also  when  He  commanded  His  followers  not  to  de- 
part from  Jerusalem,  but  to  wait  for  the  promise  of  the 
Father.  "  But  ye  shall  receive  power,  after  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  come  upon  you,  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto 
Me,  both  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all  Judea  and  in  Samaria 
and  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth."  The  ex- 
tensive aspect  of  the  kingdom  finds  expression  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  this  Scriptural  passage,  but  it  is  summed  up  in 
its  completeness  in  the  marching  orders  of  the  king  to 
His  followers :  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature."  The  Master  made  the  in- 
tensive, that  is,  personal  religious  experience,  the  first 
requisite  to  the  extension  of  the  kingdom.  But  the  ex- 
tensive, the  outward  expansion  of  the  kingdom  among 
men,  should  be  a  logical  concomitant  of  this  first  law. 

The  Application  of  Intensive  Methods  in  the 

Kingdom 
It  is  essential  that  the  foreign  missionary  centralize  his 
efforts  until  a  spiritual  body  has  been  created  from  among 

313 


314      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

the  people  who  have  come  to  him  for  instruction.  He 
will  thus  be  able  to  work  through  these  spiritual  men  and 
women  and  multiply  his  influence  many  fold.  The 
foreign  missionary  must  use  good  judgment  in  the  selec- 
tion of  a  strategic  city  or  town  as  the  centre  from  which 
to  exert  his  influence.  It  is  essential  that  he  give  more 
attention  to  the  intensive  phase  of  his  work  than  to  the 
extensive.  There  have  been  missionaries  who  were 
noted  for  their  deep  religious  life,  but  who  failed  to  reap 
the  fruit  of  their  consecrated  labours,  simply  because  they 
neglected  to  apply  this  fundamental  law  of  the  kingdom 
in  their  missionary  labours.  That  great  saint  and  inde- 
fatigable missionary,  John  Burns,  travelled  continually 
from  port  to  port  along  the  entire  coast  of  China.  He 
was  literally  consumed  in  the  great  work  of  the  kingdom, 
yet  he  did  not  gather  the  fruits  of  his  labours.  Though 
no  one  would  venture  to  say  that  his  work  was  in  vain, 
yet  there  was  not  that  visible  result  which  such  a  devoted 
labourer  might  easily  have  attained.  He  had  a  prema- 
ture vision  of  the  results  of  the  extensive  method  and  a 
great  desire  to  see  the  gospel  spread  into  China  from 
many  points,  while  his  day  of  missionary  labours  called 
for  methods  none  the  less  heroic :  settling  down  in  one 
strategic  centre  and  living  there  year  in  and  year  out 
until  a  strong  body  of  Christians  should  be  gathered 
through  which  to  work  upon  a  larger  territory.  Mission- 
aries have  been  known  to  spend  their  first  years  travel- 
ling continually  from  place  to  place,  rarely,  if  ever,  stay- 
ing at  a  single  centre  more  than  a  day  or  two.  These 
men  have  finally  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  daily 
example  of  a  Christian  life,  illustrating  the  truths  they 
were  preaching,  was  in  the  end  more  effective  than  many 
transient  visits  of  a  few  hours  at  a  given  place.     The 


"HEADS  AXD  TAILS" 
A  Street  scene  in  Shanghai.     A  festal  occasion 


Methods  of  the  Kingdom  315 

planting  of  the  Church  of  God  does  not  consist  in  the 
proclamation  of  the  gospel  apart  from  the  new  life  which 
that  gospel  teaches.  The  witness  of  a  Christian  life 
among  a  non-Christian  people  is  as  important  as  the 
proclamation  of  the  truth  itself.  The  constant  itineracy 
of  the  foreign  missionary  implies  superficiality  in  method. 
In  order  to  teach  "  all  things  "  there  must  be  a  permanent 
residence  of  the  missionary  at  a  central  location. 

Intensive  Methods  as  to  Chinese  Converts 
In  planting  the  local  church  in  any  town  of  village  in 
China  the  intensive  method  is  the  only  safe  one  that  will 
insure  a  healthy  growth.  The  rite  of  baptism  should  be 
withheld  until  sufficient  evidence  has  been  estabHshed 
that  the  converts  are  regenerated  men  and  women  and 
that  they  have  broken  away  from  idolatry.  The  plan  of 
the  missionary  should  be  to  use  the  church  as  a  spiritual 
dynamo  to  accomplish  an  extensive  work  rather  than  to 
view  it  as  a  hospital  wherein  all  sorts  of  disabled  and 
deathly  sick  patients  are  nursed  back  to  spiritual  health. 
The  writer  is  convinced  that  the  success  of  mission  work 
in  China  is  due  to  the  direct  working  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
rather  than  to  the  methods  employed  by  the  foreign  mis- 
.sionary.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  concerned  with  the  indi- 
viduality of  the  believer.  If  it  is  true  that  the  spiritual 
church  is  the  creation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  it  neces- 
sarily follows  that  he  has  supplied  her  with  the  proper 
spiritual  equipment  to  exist  and  to  thrive  independently 
of  all  outside  influences  and  helps.  We  read  in  the  fourth 
chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  in  the  eighth 
verse,  that  when  Christ  ascended  on  high  "  He  led  cap- 
tivity captive  and  gave  gifts  to  men."  It  has  been  the  con- 
viction of  the  writer  for  some  time  that  the  right  solution 


316      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

of  the  problems  connected  with  foreign  mission  work 
cannot  be  found  unless  the  subject  of  spiritual  gifts  and 
their  presence  among  the  native  Christians  is  given 
proper  attention.  The  questions  of  native  ministry,  self- 
support,  the  rights  of  the  local  church,  and  so  forth,  are 
often  discussed  as  a  matter  between  the  mission  boards, 
the  missionary  and  the  native  churches ;  that  is,  the 
whole  subject  is  considered  from  the  human  point  of  view 
only,  thus  overlooking  the  divine  preparation  laid  down 
in  the  word  of  God  to  meet  these  as  well  as  other  prob- 
lems on  the  foreign  field.  The  writer  ventures  at  the 
risk  of  weariness  to  the  reader  to  enter  upon  the  subject 
of  spiritual  gifts  among  the  Chinese  Christians  in  the 
light  of  spiritual  gifts  bestowed  upon  Christians  of  the 
apostolic  period. 

Spiritual  Gifts  Defined 

It  will  first  be  necessary  to  define  spiritual  gifts.  The 
writer  has  no  sympathy  with  Irvingism  or  with  German 
naturalism.  To  arrive  at  a  proper  understanding  of 
spiritual  gifts  only  the  word  of  God  can  be  our  guide.  In 
the  study  of  this  subject  it  will  be  necessary  to  compare 
spiritual  things  with  spiritual. 

For  centuries  spiritual  gifts  were  considered  as  special 
privileges  of  the  apostolic  church.  They  were  thought 
to  consist  in  the  ability  to  accomplish  miracles.  They 
began,  it  was  said,  with  the  "  gift  of  tongues  "  on  the  Day 
of  Pentecost,  and  the  Roman  Catholic  theologians  main- 
tain that  they  have  their  continuation  to  this  day  in  the 
miraculous  deeds  of  the  holy  saints  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church. 

This  is  also  the  view  practically  maintained  by  Edward 
Irving,  the  famous   Scotch   preacher   in  London  two  or 


Methods  of  the  Kingdom  317 

three  generations  ago.  He  claimed  that  the  apostolic 
"  gifts,"  the  gift  of  tongues  and  other  miraculous  powers, 
had  been  given  to  him  and  his  followers.  To  what  a  sad 
caricature  of  our  holy  faith  that  movement  led  is  a  mat- 
ter of  history. 

It  is  perhaps  the  prevalent  conception  among  Protes- 
tant theologians  of  to-day  that  the  gifts  recorded  in  the 
New  Testament  were  miraculous,  bestowed  upon  believ- 
ers during  the  first  three  Christian  centuries,  but  after 
this  period  ceasing  to  exist  within  the  Church.  How- 
ever, a  closer  study  of  the  word  of  God  will  indicate  that 
the  spiritual  gifts  of  the  New  Testament  have  to  do  with 
something  deeper,  broader  and  more  permanent  than  the 
mere  power  to  accomplish  miracles.  We  do  not  deny 
that  the  latter  may  be,  and  at  times  are,  included  in 
spiritual  gifts,  but  this  does  not  exhaust  the  subject,  by 
any  means. 

The  word  "  gifts "  (Xrjptfffiara)  has  a  peculiar  New 
Testament  meaning.  This  word  is  found  in  i  Tim.  4:14 
and  2  Tim.  i  :  6  to  refer  to  certain  gifts  of  grace  which 
the  Christian  has  within  him.  The  same  word  is  used  in 
I  Corinthians  I  :  6,  7  to  denote  a  condition  of  victorious 
spiritual  growth  among  the  Christians  at  Corinth.  "  So 
that  ye  come  behind  in  no  gift."  Then  again,  the  word 
as  used  in  Romans  12  :  6-8  ;  i  Cor.  12  and  14  and  in  Peter 
4:  10  teaches  distinctly  that  the  disciple  is  endued  with 
certain  abilities  by  reason  of  the  gift,  by  which  he  may 
in  a  direct  way  serve  the  Church  of  God,  the  body  of 
Christ,  just  as  a  member  of  the  human  body,  the  hand  or 
foot,  for  instance,  may  serve  the  body.  There  is  ample 
proof  from  the  above  passages  of  Scripture  that  "  spirit- 
ual gifts  "  is  not  a  subject  that  need  necessarily  be  identi- 
fied with  the  continuation  of  miracles.     It  has  in  a  much 


31 8      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

larger  sense  to  do  with  the  spiritual  equipment  of  each 
member  of  the  church,  to  serve  the  body  and  the  King- 
dom in  a  smaller  or  greater  sphere.  According  to  the 
scripture  just  quoted  such  an  equipment  belongs  to  every 
member  of  the  body  of  Christ  by  reason  of  his  regenera- 
tion. Each  member  of  that  body  has  his  specific  func- 
tion. There  have  been  some  scholars  who  maintain  that 
these  spiritual  gifts  are  only  the  expression  of  certain 
natural  abilities  which  each  believer  brings  with  him  at 
the  time  of  conversion.  These  natural  abilities  or  tal- 
ents, they  hold,  become  spiritual  gifts  as  soon  as  they  are 
used  in  the  service  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  This  view, 
however,  is  not  the  biblical  one.  When  Christ  ascended 
upon  high  He  led  captivity  captive  and  gave  gifts  to  men. 
That  these  gifts  were  not  given  to  men  while  in  an  unre- 
generated  state  of  heart  is  evident  from  the  eleventh  and 
twelfth  verses  of  the  same  chapter  :  "  And  He  gave  some 
apostles,  and  some  prophets,  and  some  evangelists,  and 
some  pastors  and  teachers  for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints, 
for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the 
body  of  Christ."  The  gifts  that  Christ  gave  are  distinctly 
spiritual  and  as  such  are  given  to  men  only  after  they 
become  spiritual. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied,  however,  that  there  is  a  blend- 
ing of  the  supernatural  with  the  human  individuality.  It 
is  quite  true  that  the  Spirit  of  God  will  often  take  the 
natural  ability  of  a  new  convert,  and  rectify,  quicken  and 
consecrate  it  in  the  service  of  the  Kingdom,  but  that  is 
only  a  small  fraction  of  the  whole  truth  in  this  important 
subject.  It  is  evident  that  this  power  necessary  for  the 
hfe  of  the  Church,  a  supernatural  and  spiritual  organism, 
cannot  have  its  source  in  human  or  natural  effort.  It 
must  have  a  supernatural  origin.     The  definition  of  the 


Methods  of  the  Kingdom  319 

New  Testament  -  spiritual  gifts  "  is  powers  and  abilities 
wrought  in  members  of  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  On  the  one  hand,  these  powers  and  abili- 
ties are  often  imparted  to  the  believer  after  his  regen- 
eration, and  on  the  other  they  may  have  been  natural 
abilities  wrought  over,  rectified  and  consecrated  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Spiritual  gifts  are  bestowed  for  the  express 
service  of  the  Church  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

Spiritual  gifts  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament  can 
be  divided  into  two  classes.  There  seem  to  be  some 
gifts  bestowed  in  the  Apostolic  Age  that  evidently  were 
meant  to  be  temporary  only.  The  gift  of  apostleship, 
its  office  and  its  powers,  was  a  temporary  gift  to  the 
Church.  The  gift  of  tongues,  and  its  concomitant,  the 
interpretation  of  tongues,  the  power  to  work  miracles, 
certain  gifts  of  healing,  and  others,  were  undoubtedly 
gifts  of  a  temporary  nature.  They  ceased  when  the 
body  of  Christ  could  prosper  without  them. 

There  are  other  gifts,  however,  that  have  been  per- 
manent with  the  Church  throughout  all  the  centuries. 
Prophets,  evangeHsts,  pastors,  teachers,  men  and  women 
of  faith  to  do  a  great  work,  are  all  gifts  of  Christ  to  the 
Church.  These  and  others  have  ever  remained  her  in- 
heritance. Furthermore,  it  would  seem  that  there  has 
been  a  gradual  addition  to  these  gifts  to  the  Church  as 
time  passed  on.  The  deaconship,  its  office  and  power  to 
fulfill  the  duties,  is  a  gift.  The  four  daughters  of  Philip, 
the  evangelist,  were  endowed  with  spiritual  gifts.  One 
could  continue  to  show,  if  it  were  necessary,  that  the 
bestowment  of  spiritual  gifts  by  Christ  did  not  cease  with 
the  Apostolic  Age,  but  are  in  a  large  measure  constant 
and  permanent.     It  may  be  added  that  these  gifts  have 


320      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  an  China 

changed  to  meet  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  Church  at 
various  times  and  in  different  countries. 

Spiritual  Gifts  Among  Chinese  Christians 
According  to  the  above  definition  of  spiritual  gifts  it 
is  evident  that  there  are  such  among  Chinese  Christians 
at  the  present  time.  To  deny  this  were  to  admit  that 
the  missionary  efforts  of  the  past  century  have  been  a 
failure  and  that  God  had  not  called  a  spiritual  organism 
into  being  from  among  the  Chinese  people.  The  failure 
of  a  congregation  of  believers  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
to  supply  the  spiritual  needs  of  one  another  and  the 
spiritual  needs  of  the  body  as  a  whole  would  indicate  that 
they  were  not  fulfilHng  the  requirements  of  a  New  Testa- 
ment church.  The  latest  physiology  teaches  that  the 
human  body  has  no  superfluous  members,  and  so  it  may 
be  said  that  no  person  called  in  Christ  Jesus  and  thus 
becoming  a  member  of  His  spiritual  body,  is  without 
some  spiritual  endowment — "  a  gift " — by  the  exercise  of 
which  he  is  to  add  to  the  benefit  and  upbuilding  of  the 
whole  body.  As  the  failure  of  a  member  of  the  physical 
body  to  fulfill  its  function  may  ultimately  result  in  dis- 
ordering the  whole,  so  is  the  case  with  the  spiritual  body 
of  Christ:  if  the  members  exercise  their  spiritual  gifts, 
then  the  whole  Christian  Church  will  be  in  a  robust  and 
healthy  condition. 

To  what  extent  are  these  gifts  exercised  among  the 
Chinese  Christians  ?  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  average 
missionary  in  China  is  able  to  see  the  results  of  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  the  native  Christians  in  a 
more  direct  manner  than  in  the  average  believer  in  the 
home  land.  The  most  prevalent  "  gift "  bestowed  upon 
the  young  church  in  China  is  that  of  the  evangelist,  the 


Methods  of  the  Kingdom  321 

man  able  to  preach  the  truths  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
Missionaries  have  all  been  astonished  at  the  boldness  of 
utterance  and  the  liberty  in  proclaiming  the  gospel,  pre- 
vailing among  Chinese  converts.  It  is  done  often  in  a 
way  that  the  missionary  would  not  do  it,  but  the  zeal  of 
these  men  and  women  command  attention.  In  and 
about  their  homes,  on  the  roads  of  travel,  in  the  shops, 
at  the  markets,  on  the  boats,  the  gospel  is  preached  with- 
out money  and  without  price.  This  gift,  it  would  seem, 
is  logically  the  most  urgent  one  of  all  at  the  present 
time :  hence  it  has  been  bestowed  upon  so  many  of  the 
Chinese  Christians.  It  is  due  to  the  use  of  this  gift  by 
the  Christians  on  the  author's  field  preaching  the  Word 
wherever  they  went,  that  the  growth  of  the  network  of 
outstations  on  that  field  must  be  attributed.  It  would 
have  been  utterly  impossible  for  the  missionary  to  ac- 
complish anything  like  these  results  through  any  plan 
of  his  though  backed  up  with  many  thousands  of 
dollars. 

Another  important  gift  bestowed  upon  the  Chinese 
Christians  is  that  of  a  great  childlike  faith,  which  at 
times  induces  on  the  part  of  the  missionary  a  self-exami- 
nation and  a  longing  for  something  like  it.  With  them 
God  is  a  God  who  is  willing  to  answer  prayers  concern- 
ing the  smallest  details  of  their  private  lives.  The  organ- 
ization of  the  Kityang  Missionary  Society,  under  the 
entire  control  of  the  Chinese  themselves,  and  the  fact 
that  they  have  been  able  to  carry  on  the  work  through- 
out the  entire  field  during  the  furlough  of  the  missionary, 
are  substantial  evidences  that  they  have  the  gift  of  ad- 
ministration. The  native  church  in  all  parts  of  China 
has  already  produced  a  host  of  able  evangelists,  pastors 
and    teachers.     The   writer   believes   that   most   of  the 


322      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

spiritual  gifts  which  were  designated  as  permanent  have 
already  appeared  among  the  Chinese  Christians. 

With  regard  to  such  spiritual  gifts  as  are  designated  as 
temporary  it  is  more  difficult  to  say  to  any  degree  of 
certainty,  whether  there  are  such  among  the  young 
churches.  The  faith  of  the  Chinese  in  the  gift  of  miracu- 
lous powers,  as  casting  out  of  evil  spirits  and  the  healing 
of  the  sick  by  prayer,  is  so  sublime,  that  it  seems  quite 
wrong  to  doubt ;  nevertheless  it  is  the  duty  of  the  mis- 
sionary to  be  very  circumspect  in  such  matters.  Should 
there  be  such  spiritual  gifts  really  present  among  some 
of  the  churches  it  is  evident  from  history  that  they  will 
be  but  temporary  and  that  other  gifts,  perhaps  attracting 
less  attention  on  the  part  of  the  pagans,  but  more  sub- 
stantial towards  the  building  up  of  the  Church,  will  take 
their  places. 

A  subject  which  at  the  present  time  is  demanding  the 
attention  of  our  missionary  societies  and  which  will  do  so 
increasingly  as  the  years  pass  on,  is  that  of  self-support 
among  the  native  churches.  The  writer  does  not  think 
that  the  Chinese  are  behind  any  of  the  Asiatic  people  in 
their  effort  to  support  their  own  work.  But  the  question 
of  getting  the  people  to  raise  money  for  their  own  local 
church  is  not  the  important  point  at  all.  It  is  possible 
under  the  present  political  conditions  in  China  to  have  a 
small  congregation  pay  a  good  salary  for  a  pastor  and  a 
school-teacher  and  raise  money  enough  and  more  to  meet 
all  other  local  expenses,  while  at  the  same  time  all  the 
members  and  adherents  of  that  church  may  be  lacking  in 
true  spiritual  life, — worse,  they  may  even  despise  it. 
They  may  have  united  with  the  Christian  congregation 
with  the  same  motive  that  a  person  has  when  he  has  his 
house  insured  against  fire.     In  such  a  case  a  missionary 


Methods  of  the  Kingdom  323 

could  report  a  self-supporting  church  or  congregation, 
but  that  is  about  all  that  could  be  said  of  it  favourably. 
Far  better  were  it  if  it  could  be  said  that  though  the  Httle 
church  did  not  raise  more  than  one  dollar,  it  was  never- 
theless a  self-sustaining,  that  is,  a  self- feeding  church.  It 
is  a  mistake  to  urge  a  paid  ministry  too  strenuously  upon 
the  little  churches.  It  is  desired,  of  course,  to  see  the  ht- 
tle churches  grow  in  numbers  and  become  independent 
of  foreign  mission  money.  How  can  this  be  attained 
while  yet  avoiding  the  dangers  connected  with  the  prob- 
lem? The  Apostolic  churches  were  not  in  any  great 
need  of  money  to  carry  on  the  spiritual  work  in  their  lo- 
calities ;  in  fact  it  appears  that  money  was  a  matter  of  no 
importance  to  them.  They  were  more  concerned  with 
the  far  more  profitable  question  of  spiritual  gifts  and  how 
to  serve  the  church  in  a  proper  way.  Again,  the  writer 
repeats  that  a  congregation  of  believers  constitutes  a 
spiritual  organism  and  that  as  such  Christ  has  given  the 
members  of  the  organism  spiritual  gifts  for  the  self-sus- 
tenance of  the  whole  body.  These  gifts  may  not  at  first 
be  of  a  high  character  in  their  outward  expression ;  in- 
deed to  the  spiritually  developed  missionary  they  may  ap- 
pear unimportant,  but  such  as  they  are  they  will  be  help- 
ful towards  the  upbuilding  of  the  faith  and  spiritual  Hfe  of 
the  other  members.  Perhaps  one  may  have  the  gift  of 
singing;  he  will  be  sought  after  constantly ;  it  is  for  him 
to  render  that  service.  Another  may  be  able  to  read  the 
Bible  understandingly ;  let  him  be  a  constant  comforter  to 
the  whole  Christian  band.  Another  or  several  others 
may  have  the  gift  of  exhortation,  to  serve  the  church ; 
other  gifts  along  such  lines  as  these  mentioned  will  make 
a  congregation  quite  independent  of  paid  preacher  or 
pastor  if  such  persons  cannot  be  had.     Such  a  humble 


324      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

service  by  the  Christians  will  strengthen  the  spiritual  side 
of  the  church  as  nothing  else  can. 

In  carrying  out  this  policy  we  must  of  course  be  certain 
that  in  the  congregation  left  without  an  evangelist  or  pas- 
tor there  are  at  least  a  number  of  regenerated  men  pres- 
ent ;  otherwise  it  will  be  impossible  to  obtain  any  good 
results.  The  mission  must  be  on  a  scriptural  basis  before 
scriptural  methods  can  be  adopted. 

These  principles  should  be  carried  out  not  with  the  idea 
that  there  is  anything  special  given  to  the  Christians  but 
simply  that  they  are  fulfilling  their  duties ;  for  it  is  noth- 
ing more  or  less  than  that.  Many  congregations  have  an 
enjoyable  time  when  the  regular  preacher  is  absent,  for 
then  some  of  the  members  have  their  turn  at  preaching, 
a  service  which  seems  to  do  them  a  great  deal  of  good. 
Thus  by  recognizing  the  spiritual  gifts  of  the  Chinese 
Christians  and  urging  the  use  of  them,  the  planting  and 
training  of  the  local  churches  are  problems  which  are 
being  easily  solved.  This  method,  to  be  sure,  does  not 
help  to  develop  a  system  of  perpetual  foreign  missionary 
supervision,  but  in  this  period  of  transition  in  China  it 
may  prove  to  be  all  the  more  valuable. 

Spiritual  Gifts  in  Relation  to  Extensive  Methods 
IN  the  Kingdom 
The  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  God  cannot  be 
neglected.  It  would  be  a  sad  mistake  if  the  local 
churches  were  to  become  contented  with  their  own  local 
church  life  and  neglect  to  carry  the  gospel  to  others.  It 
has  often  been  the  author's  experience  that  the  man  who 
took  the  initiative  in  establishing  a  place  of  prayer  be- 
came a  lay  preacher  and  later  entered  the  theological  semi- 
nary for  trai  ni  ng.     So,  too,  the  places  of  prayer,  at  one  time 


Methods  of  the  Kingdom  325 

only  a  rendezvous  for  a  few  isolated  Christians  among  thou- 
sands of  heathen,  have  developed  into  missions  and  then 
into  self-sustaining  and  self-supporting  churches.  This 
could  hardly  have  been  accomplished  unless  the  Chinese 
Christians  had  made  use  of  their  spiritual  gifts.  There 
has  never  been  any  hesitation  on  the  part  of  the  missionary 
as  to  the  ability  of  the  Chinese  to  carry  on  the  work  of 
their  own  missionary  organization.  Their  missionary 
meetings  are  always  full  of  interest  and  their  methods  of 
solving  the  problems  connected  with  their  work  show 
plainly  that  they  understand  the  dignity  and  importance 
of  their  work.  They  are  furthermore  realizing  as  never 
before  the  great  financial  cost  of  missionary  work  as  they 
find  themselves  investing  their  thousands  of  dollars  in 
their  own  mission  field.  The  daughter  who  has  become  a 
mother  herself,  realizes  as  never  before  the  anxiety  and  care 
of  her  own  mother  in  past  years.  There  have  never  been 
so  many  prayers  of  thanksgiving  offered  for  the  work  of 
the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union  in  South  China 
as  during  the  comparatively  brief  existence  of  the  native 
missionary  society. 

The  fact  that  the  Chinese  Christians  are  able  to  take 
up  a  large  share  of  the  responsibility  for  their  own  work 
will  help  much  to  lower  the  expense  of  mission  work  in 
China.  Perpetual  foreign  control  over  the  older  Chinese 
churches  is  unnecessary.  If  the  native  church  is  the  or- 
ganization through  which  to  accomplish  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  China  then  missionaries  ought  to  get  the  Chinese 
Christians  to  understand  their  relation  to  the  great  prob- 
lem. If  God  has  created  a  hunger  and  thirst  for  the 
gospel  message  all  over  China  He  surely  has  made  it 
possible  to  satisfy  this  hunger  and  thirst.  The  native 
church  should  understand  the  issue.     She  should  know  her 


326      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

prerogatives  and  her  sublime  duty.  She  should  know  her 
strength  in  Christ  and  remember  the  promises  of  God 
that  in  using  the  name  of  Christ  in  this  great  evangelistic 
campaign,  demons  shall  be  subjected  unto  her.  She  shall 
overcome  her  enemies.  She  shall  go  forth  conquering 
and  to  conquer. 


XVIII 

THE  CHINESE  CHURCH  AND  THE  FOREIGN 
MISSIONARY 

The  kindly  interest  which  Chinese  Christians  take  in 
the  welfare  of  the  foreign  missionary  has  become  pro- 
verbial.    The  missionary  as  he  grows  older  and  becomes 
able  to  understand  the   Chinese  better  marvels  at  the 
patience  which  they  have  exercised  with  him  as  he  tried 
to  speak  their  language  and  learn  their  customs.     The 
Christians  rejoice  with  the  missionary  as  he  gradually 
masters  the  language  and  is  able  to  preach  to  them.     But 
as  he  attains  a  better  knowledge  of  the  people  he  will 
become  conscious  of  the  discouraging  fact  that  he  is  not 
able  to  enter  into  the  social,  moral  and  spiritual  life  of 
these  converts  to  the  degree  that  he  would  like.     The 
racial  distinctions  are  so  vast,  the  civilization  and  make-up 
of  both  the  missionary  and  the  Chinese  are  so  different, 
as  to  present  great  difficulties  which  both  recognize  and 
which  have  been  accepted  by  both  parties  as  permanent. 
Happily  there  are  no  misgivings  that  this  is  so. 

This  happy  relation  between  the  foreign  missionary 
and  the  Chinese  Christians  has  lately  been  threatened  in 
a  few  sections  of  China,  especially  since  the  close  of  the 
Japanese  and  Russian  War.  A  movement  is  now  on 
foot  among  certain  native  leaders  to  carry  on  their  local 
church  work  independent  of  any  control  by  the  foreigner. 
This  is  a  natural  sequence  of  the  reassertion  of  the  yellow 
race  in  the  Far  East  and  a  concomitant  of  the  boycott 
of  American  goods.     The  Chinese  church,  too,  has  made 

327 


328      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

great  strides  in  self-support  during  the  past  years,  and  it 
is  an  axiom  in  Chinese  hfe  that  he  who  pays  shall  also 
govern. 

A  sane  view  of  the  situation  ought  to  bring  joy  to 
every  missionary  rather  than  forebodings  of  fear  for  the 
future  welfare  of  Christian  missions  in  China.  The  func- 
tions of  the  foreign  missionary  and  those  of  the  local 
churches  are  entirely  different,  and  with  a  strict  applica- 
tion of  each  to  its  own  sphere  of  work,  it  ought  to  be 
possible  to  find  room  for  the  activities  of  both. 

The  Functions  of  the  Foreign  Missionary 
The  missionary  is  sent  to  the  foreign  field  to  do  a  dis- 
tinct work.  He  is  called  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
heathen.  Having  gathered  a  number  of  converts  he  is  to 
organize  them  into  a  local  church  and  teach  them  how  to 
become  self-sustaining  and  self-supporting.  When  the 
native  church  has  attained  the  period  of  self-sustenance 
and  self-support  the  relation  of  the  missionary  to  that 
church  changes  and  the  recognition  of  these  changes  is 
as  imperative  as  is  the  changed  relation  of  a  newly  mar- 
ried son  or  daughter  to  the  parents.  A  local  self-support- 
ing church  is  a  force  in  the  social  fabric  and  life  of  the 
Chinese  such  as  foreign  missionaries  can  never  hope  to 
be.  But  this  influence  will  be  diminished  just  so  much 
as  the  missionary  keeps  thrusting  himself  and  his  plans  of 
work  upon  such  local  churches.  The  fact  that  a  church  is 
clamorous  for  freedom  of  foreign  control  is  a  healthy 
sign,  and  if  a  good  sound  training  has  preceded  this 
crisis  the  problem  of  setting  up  the  native  church  ought 
to  be  a  happy  event.  If  not,  the  missionary  who  has  had 
the  church  under  his  care  and  training  during  the  past 
has  no  one  to  blame  but  himself. 


Chinese  Church  and  the  Foreign  Missionary  329 

Practical  experiences  on  the  foreign  field  show  that 
there  are  various  methods  employed  by  the  missionaries 
in  their  personal  relation  to  the  native  Christians.  From 
the  earliest  stages  there  are  many  difficulties  to  a  mutual 
understanding  in  the  way  of  both.  The  European  and 
Asiatic  have  always  misunderstood  each  other.  Tongue 
and  civilization  have  stood  in  the  way.  The  race  pride 
of  the  average  European  in  the  Far  East  and  the  sturdy 
independence  of  the  Chinese  race  are  disturbing  factors. 
These  trying  conditions  of  the  East  have  compelled  mis- 
sionaries to  adopt  various  ways  in  their  personal  relation 
with  the  Chinese.  They  can  readily  be  classified  into 
two  schools.  The  one  is  largely  influenced  by  the  Euro- 
pean official  and  merchant  class  in  the  ports.  They  keep 
up  their  social  relations  with  the  Europeans  in  the  port 
and  do  not  allow  the  Chinese  to  absorb  their  entire  at- 
tention. The  other  school  has  tried  in  every  way  possi- 
ble to  become  like  the  Chinese  themselves.  They  have 
adopted  the  clothing  and  food  of  the  natives ;  they  live 
in  Chinese  houses  and  are  seemingly  constantly  giving 
their  attention  and  strength  to  the  Chinese.  Further  in- 
vestigation, however,  shows  that  this  division  is  largely 
due  to  the  environment  of  the  missionary.  Men  and 
women  living  in  the  treaty  ports  are  naturally  compelled 
to  give  attention  to  the  social  side  of  life  more  than  mis- 
sionaries who  live  in  the  interior  and  perhaps  some  dis- 
tance away  from  Europeans.  Many  missionaries  who 
ventured  several  thousand  miles  into  the  interior  of 
China  believed  that  the  adoption  of  the  native  dress 
and  food  would  cause  less  curiosity  and  perhaps  give 
them  a  better  opportunity  to  carry  on  their  mission 
among  the  people.  The  methods  of  these  missionaries 
demand  universal   respect,    even    though   one   may  still 


330      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

maintain  that  the  chasm  between  the  European  and 
Asiatic  is  not  a  question  of  adaptation  of  dress  and  food  as 
much  as  in  the  inner  characteristics.  A  European  re- 
mains a  European  and  an  Asiatic  will  always  remain  an 
Asiatic  in  spite  of  clothing  or  food.  It  is  possible  to 
unite  them  in  love  and  to  a  certain  extent  in  a  bond  of 
union,  but  this  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Instances 
in  West  China  have  been  known  where  the  people  pointed 
to  the  missionary  dressed  in  his  own  European  garb  as 
the  "  true  foreigner,"  while  his  companion  dressed  in 
Chinese  style  was  dubbed  the  <'  false  foreigner."  But  all 
these  things  are  non-essentials  in  comparison  with  the  per- 
sonal touch  of  the  missionary  with  the  Chinese.  If  the 
home  of  the  missionary  is  closed  against  the  people,  and 
if  the  missionary  unfortunately  cannot  induce  his  stom- 
ach to  accept  Chinese  food  at  specific  functions,  he  fails 
to  make  use  of  a  strong  element  that  will  help  to  make  a 
place  for  him  in  the  lives  of  the  natives.  This  place  may 
not  be  as  important  as  the  missionary  would  like,  but  the 
latent  "  race  antagonism  "  will  in  a  measure  be  obliterated. 
The  Chinese  Christians  will  understand  the  missionary 
and  be  better  able  to  explain  the  man  and  his  mission  to 
their  fellow  men,  who  may  not  be  in  sympathy  with  the 
foreigner. 

The  Missionary  and  the  Chinese  Local  Church 
In  the  earliest  stages  of  missionary  work  in  China  it  is 
but  natural  that  the  views  and  decisions  of  the  foreign 
missionary  should  be  of  supreme  authority.  This  is  ab- 
solutely necessary  in  order  to  create  a  Christian  congre- 
gation, but  it  would  be  a  mistake  for  the  missionary  to 
let  this  authority  become  evident  to  every  one.  As  the 
little  church   of  Jesus  Christ  is   formed,  even  though  it 


Chinese  Church  and  the  Foreign  Missionary  331 

may  not  be  able  to  care  for  itself  independently  of  the 
foreign  missionary,  it  is  a  wise  plan  for  him  to  take  the 
young  Christians  into  consultation  and  to  cooperate  with 
them.  The  Christians  will  not  be  able  to  understand  the 
true  significance  of  it  at  first,  but  after  a  few  years  these 
same  people  will  be  the  strongest  forces  connected  with 
the  mission.  There  will  rarely  develop  a  desire  among 
Christians  thus  trained,  to  break  away  abruptly  from  for- 
eign influence.  It  is  a  wise  policy  to  have  a  strict  di- 
vision of  responsibility  between  the  foreign  missionary 
and  the  church  as  soon  as  possible.  The  local  churches 
should  have  complete  control  over  their  own  affairs. 
This  would  naturally  include  the  control  of  money  raised 
among  themselves,  call  of  a  preacher,  the  responsibility 
of  erecting  chapels,  receiving  candidates  for  baptism, 
church  discipline,  and  so  forth.  The  functions  of  the  for- 
eign missionary  are  too  great  to  permit  him  to  be  Hmited 
to  the  responsibilities  of  such  local  matters.  He  should 
be  the  general  who  is  always  looking  beyond  the  things 
that  others  can  do.  The  problems  of  sowing  the  seed  in 
new  regions,  the  planting  and  the  training  of  the  church, 
is  his  work.  The  administration  of  the  Chinese  churches 
can  never  become  the  permanent  duty  of  the  missionary. 
He  may  come  to  their  aid  temporarily  if  asked  to  do  so, 
but  his  influence,  if  continually  present,  will  necessarily  be 
a  stumbling-block  to  many  in  time,  and  defeat  the  very 
end  in  view.  It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note  that  mission- 
aries who  give  the  Chinese  a  wide  scope  for  the  exercise 
and  development  of  their  spiritual  gifts  will  in  the  end 
have  a  larger  share  of  sympathy  and  influence  in  the 
plans  and  life  of  the  local  churches.  They  will  constantly 
come  to  the  missionary  as  a  friend  whom  they  can  trust 
as  no  one  else. 


332      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Lessons  Learned 
The  author  upon  his  arrival  in  his  field  very  soon 
noticed  that  the  Chinese  had  to  a  very  remarkable  de- 
gree, the  gift  of  concentrating  their  energies  upon  the 
things  in  which  they  were  interested.  In  business,  in 
their  idolatrous  festivities,  or  in  building  a  temple,  the 
people  would  be  found  untiring  in  the  carrying  out  of 
their  plans.  It  was  a  reHef  to  know  this  and  in  the 
earliest  months,  when  still  studying  the  language,  he  de- 
cided that  the  Christian  people  were  capable  of  carrying 
the  responsibility  for  the  maintenance  of  their  own 
church.  It  would  be  only  just  to  the  Chinese  themselves 
to  assume  that  they  were  manly  and  strong  enough  to 
carry  on  their  own  work.  The  little  congregation  at  Kit- 
yang  had  just  come  out  of  deep  waters  of  schism.  The 
people  were  poor,  but  there  was  excellent  material  among 
them.  Two  business  men  of  the  city,  men  of  soHd  worth, 
were  elected  by  the  congregation  as  deacons  to  serve  for 
one  year.  At  that  time  the  people  in  the  city  were 
eager  to  hear  the  gospel,  which  gave  the  missionary  the 
opportunity  to  appeal  to  the  Christians  to  help  raise  suf- 
ficient money  to  open  a  mission  near  the  south  gate  in- 
side the  city  wall.  This  place  proved  such  a  success  that 
money  was  easily  raised  to  open  a  second  mission  in  the 
city.  The  reports  of  the  two  deacons  on  the  progress 
made  each  week,  were  always  of  intense  interest  to  the 
people.  The  native  pastor  as  well  as  the  missionary  was 
present  at  the  nightly  mission  meetings.  This  exhibition 
of  native  ability  was  an  object  lesson  for  every  outstation 
organized  during  the  following  years.  It  was  taken  for 
granted  that  the  Chinese  Christians,  coming  out  of  super- 
stition and  ignorance  of  heathenism  themselves,  could 
sympathize  with  their  own  fellow  men  and  guide  them  into 


Chinese  Church  and  the  Foreign  Missionary  333 

the  gospel  light  better  than  the  foreign  missionary  could. 
The  function  of  the  missionary,  then,  was  to  get  the 
Chinese  to  work  and  to  urge  them  to  establish  missions 
among  their  own  people.  This  was  the  slogan  that  was 
sounded  all  over  the  field  from  that  time  forward.  Chris- 
tians living  in  isolated  villages  were  taught  to  unite  for  a 
regular  meeting  once  or  several  times  a  week.  To-day 
many  of  these  small  places  of  prayer  have  developed  into 
self-supporting  churches. 

The  Functions  of  the  Local  Church 
The  native  church  is  a  living  organism  created  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  This  divine  organization,  the  body  of 
Christ  in  China  is  to  accomplish  through  its  members  acts 
of  mercy  similar  to  those  the  incarnate  Christ  accom- 
plished when  Hving  among  the  inhabitants  of  Galilee 
nearly  nineteen  centuries  ago.  The  mission  of  the  native 
church  in  China  is  the  same  as  Christ  proclaimed  to  His 
townsmen  of  Nazareth,  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon 
Me,  because  He  hath  anointed  Me  to  preach  the  gospel 
to  the  poor  ;  He  hath  sent  Me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted, 
to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of 
sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised  ; 
to  preach  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord."  (Luke 
4:18.)  This  proclamation  included  every  variety  of 
spiritual  work  and  it  is  all  to  be  accomplished  by  the 
body  representing  Christ  in  China. 

The  church  must  be  guided  by  the  missionary  to  study 
the  word  of  God  and  to  be  taught  that  the  methods 
Christ  used  in  evangelizing  the  cities  and  towns  of 
Galilee  are  to  be  its  methods  of  evangelization  in  the 
cities  and  towns  of  China.  It  should  be  taught  in  the 
first  place  that  He  Himself  went  about  in  all  the  cities  and 


334      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

villages  teaching  in  the  synagogues  and  preaching  the 
gospel  of  the  Kingdom,  healing  every  sickness  and  every 
disease  among  the  people.  *'  The  time  is  fulfilled  and  the 
Kingdom  is  at  hand,  repent  and  beheve  the  good  news." 
What  is  this  good  news  which  the  native  church  is  to 
tell  ?  It  is  not  a  political  revolution  nor  is  it  the  down- 
fall of  the  Confucian  system  of  learning.  It  is  Christ,  the 
message  from  heaven  that  tells  us  of  God's  love — to  know 
Him  and  live.  It  is  the  work  of  the  native  church  to 
deliver  this  wonderful  message  to  the  harassed  and 
scattered  souls  of  China.  Her  experience  in  this  day  is 
something  like  that  of  the  seventy  disciples  when  they 
used  the  name  of  their  Lord.  What  a  revelation  to  them 
was  the  power  in  the  use  of  that  holy  name  ?  "  Even  the 
devils  were  subject  unto  us  through  Thy  name."  They 
evangelized  in  the  name  of  Christ.  They  received  His 
personal  command  to  preach  the  glad  tidings  of  the 
Kingdom  and  to  heal  the  poor  and  distressed.  They 
went  forth  in  faith  and  were  instantly  a  blessing  to  every 
city  and  town  they  entered.  And  this  same  method  will 
yet  gain  the  great  victory  in  China.  But  the  church 
cannot  attain  this  goal  if  she  is  kept  in  leading  strings  by 
the  foreign  missionary.  She  must  outgrow  her  appren- 
ticeship and  become  mistress  of  her  own  destiny.  The 
foreign  missionary  as  her  best  friend  must  help  her  to 
attain  this  ability  as  soon  as  possible.  It  is  imperative 
that  Chinese  churches  themselves  recognize  their  respon- 
sibility for  the  evangelization  of  their  countrymen.  Some 
things,  however,  are  essential  and  must  be  attained  before 
the  church  can  assume  the  responsibility  of  evangelizing 
China.  The  church  must  consist  of  regenerated  men  and 
women.  They  must  know  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  their  lives.     Granting  a  living  church  in  Christ  the 


Chinese  Church  and  the  Foreign  Missionary  335 

evangelization  of  China  in  this  generation  is  not  an  im- 
possible event.  There  was  never  a  young  native  church 
intrusted  with  so  great  a  mission  as  is  intrusted  to  the 
Chinese  church  of  to-day.  But  it  is  safe  to  add,  that 
rarely  in  all  the  history  of  Christian  missions  was  there 
a  young  native  church  better  equipped  to  take  upon  itself 
the  responsibilities  of  such  a  vast  enterprise.  Whatever 
may  be  said  about  the  materialistic  nature  of  the  Chinese 
as  a  nation,  it  still  remains  true  that  they  are  on  the 
whole  excellent  material  for  church-planting  and  church- 
training.  Then  again,  we  are  too  often  liable  to  forget  that 
there  is  a  divine  side  to  the  great  problem  of  China's 
evangelization.  If  it  is  true  that  the  missionary  yearns 
over  the  little  groups  of  believers  until  Christ  be  formed 
in  them,  how  great  then  must  be  the  heart-throbs  of  love 
of  Him,  who  bought  their  souls  with  His  own  blood. 
Nor  has  God  placed  the  native  church  upon  her  own 
natural  resources  in  this  great  work  of  evangelization. 
When  God  places  the  responsibility  upon  the  native 
church  to  evangelize  China,  He  at  the  same  time,  as  was 
pointed  out  in  the  preceding  chapters,  endows  her  with 
spiritual  gifts  to  accomplish  the  task.  Thus  for  instance 
the  ability  to  preach  the  fundamental  truths  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ  is  a  gift.  There  is  a  very  large  number  of  con- 
verts who  are  constantly  preaching  Christ  to  their  friends 
and  neighbours.  It  is  only  logical  to  maintain  that  the 
great  duty  of  the  native  Christians  is  to  witness  of  Christ's 
death  and  resurrection,  and  that  the  Holy  Spirit  has  em- 
powered them  with  this  gift  of  evangelization.  This  is 
the  divine  method  for  accomplishing  the  evangelization 
of  China.  The  foreign  missionary  must  train  the  native 
Christians  in  the  fulfillment  of  this  divine  plan.  Churches 
trained  with  this  truth  constantly  in  view  will  never  lack 


336      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

efficient  leaders  to  carry  on  their  local  work.  When  this 
becomes  true  the  work  of  the  foreign  missionary  is  com- 
pleted. He  may  safely  turn  his  attention  to  a  new  field 
and  if  possible  get  these  self-sustaining  churches  interested 
in  the  new  missionary  endeavour  also. 

Development  of  the  Missionary  Spirit  in  the 
Chinese  Churches 

The  missionary  zeal  of  the  foreign  teacher  ought  to  be 
transmitted  to  the  local  churches.  But  in  order  to  ac- 
complish this  wise  methods  of  church-training  must  be 
adopted  from  the  earliest  stages.  Much  good  work  of  the 
average  missionary  is  partly  lost  as  far  as  instructing  the 
native  church  to  follow  the  example  is  concerned,  because 
the  latter  is  not  taken  into  confidence  in  the  missionary's 
plans  of  evangelistic  endeavour.  There  ought  to  be  a 
hearty  cooperation  between  the  missionary  and  the  na- 
tive churches.  It  is  true  that  the  foreign  missionary  is  in 
no  way  subject  to  the  native  church,  but  there  is  a  higher 
law  of  love  which  would  suggest  that  we  take  the 
native  church  into  confidence  in  plans  for  natives.  The 
activities  of  the  missionary  among  the  Chinese  people 
in  a  new  district  mean  more  to  the  native  churches  than 
they  can  mean  to  the  missionary.  Unless  he  adopt  plans 
of  letting  the  churches  know  what  he  is  doing  for  them, 
the  Christians  cannot  be  very  much  interested  in  his 
methods  and  work  of  itinerating.  The  churches  and  out- 
stations  must  have  an  intelligent  grasp  of  the  aim  and 
purpose  of  the  missionary's  efforts  if  they  are  to  pray 
effectively  for  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  their 
midst.  It  is  therefore  a  mistake,  as  far  as  the  development 
of  the  missionary  spirit  is  concerned,  for  the  missionary 
to  visit  his  outstation  week  after  week  without  notifying 


Chinese  Church  and  the  Foreign  Missionary  337 

them  of  his  plans.  It  also  tends  to  isolate  the  foreigner 
all  the  more  from  the  life  of  the  native  church.  A  plan 
has  been  carried  out  for  a  number  of  years  on  one  field 
whereby  all  the  local  churches  and  outstations  know 
what  the  missionary  intends  doing  for  them  weeks  in  ad- 
vance. A  schedule  has  always  been  issued  in  advance 
every  three  or  four  months  and  sent  to  all  the  outstations, 
informing  all  the  Christians  of  the  work  contemplated 
among  then  for  the  coming  season,  and  requesting  them 
to  pray  for  it.  The  missionary  experiences  a  beneficial 
moral  support  and  attributes  the  success  of  his  mission- 
ary efforts  more  to  these  united  prayers  of  the  native 
churches  than  to  any  other  factor.  Moreover,  the  reflex 
influence  upon  the  people  themselves  in  the  development 
of  the  missionary  spirit  has  been  quite  remarkable.  They 
place  the  schedule  of  the  missionary's  plan  of  work  in  a 
prominent  place  in  the  chapel  and  every  Sunday  morn- 
ing many  prayers  were  offered  in  his  behalf,  as  well  as  for 
the  outstations  where  he  is  to  preach  on  that  day. 
Reports  of  progress  are  sent  to  the  churches  from  time  to 
time  and  they  are  received  with  great  interest,  for  the 
Christians  had  been  praying  for  this  work  and  have  had  thus 
a  distinct  share  in  it.  As  these  churches  grow  stronger 
and  are  able  to  take  upon  themselves  the  responsibility 
of  their  own  work  they  find  that  they  have  a  broad 
missionary  spirit  which  includes  clans  and  tribes,  cities 
and  towns,  many  miles  distant  from  their  own  locality. 

The  Chinese  Local  Church  and  the  Anti- 
Foreign  Spirit 
The  foreign  missionaries  by  reason  of  superior  educa- 
tion, experience  and  force  of  character  and  position  as 
teachers  are  often  tempted  to  become  dictators  over  the 


338      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Chinese  churches.  During  the  past  years  the  poHtical 
importance  of  the  foreigner  in  the  affairs  of  China  has 
caused  many  of  the  Chinese  to  look  upon  the  missionary 
as  a  man  of  more  poHtical  strength  than  the  facts  war- 
ranted. This  overstatement  was  due  largely  to  the  con- 
tinual interference  of  the  French  missionaries  in  Chinese 
civil  lawsuits  and  the  people  reasoned  that  all  foreigners 
possessed  a  like  power  and  pohtical  status.  The  fact,  too, 
that  the  missionary  received  a  yearly  appropriation  from 
the  missionary  boards  for  the  support  of  native  co- 
workers gave  him  a  standing  that  was  artificial  and  not 
for  the  best  interests  of  the  work. 

During  the  past  few  years  there  has  been  a  radical 
change  going  on  in  China.  The  churches  have  become 
self-supporting  to  a  very  marked  degree  and  are  therefore 
independent  of  foreign  money.  The  foreigner  has  lost 
somewhat  his  artificial  political  importance  since  the 
Japanese  drove  the  Russians  out  of  northern  China.  The 
firm  attitude  of  the  Chinese  government  in  limiting  the 
influence  of  the  foreigner  has  found  an  echo  in  the  hearts 
of  the  people.  The  various  uprisings  against  missions 
were  due  wholly  to  local  causes,  but  a  number  of  them 
following  so  closely  upon  each  other  showed  plainly  that 
the  spirit  that  caused  the  Boxer  revolt  and  the  boycott  of 
American  goods  has  not  yet  been  stamped  out.  To 
those  who  know  the  history  of  the  crimes  that  have  been 
committed  by  European  nations  against  China  during  the 
past  decade  it  is  not  surprising  that  this  should  be  the 
case.  It  would  be  assuming  too  much  to  suppose  that 
the  Chinese  church  should  have  escaped  being  influenced 
by  this  national  spirit.  And  yet  the  extent  of  this 
movement  within  the  church  can  easily  be  exaggerated. 
From  the  very  nature  of  the  case  there  must  be  a  con- 


Chinese  Church  and  the  Foreign  Missionary  339 

slant  readaptation  of  relations  between  the  missionaries 
and  the  missions  which  develop  into  self-supporting 
churches.  This  change  is  determined  not  by  poHtical 
conditions,  though  these  may  to  a  certain  extent  in- 
fluence them,  but  by  the  growth  of  the  churches  them- 
selves. It  is  safe  to  assume  that  very  few  of  the  native 
churches  that  have  been  trained  to  support  their  own 
work  during  the  past  decade  or  two  and  who  have  sup- 
ported missionary  undertakings  among  other  clans  and 
cities  have  broken  away  from  their  old  connections. 
These  churches  understand  the  true  motive  in  the  mis- 
sionary movement.  They  know  that  the  missionary  has 
not  come  to  them  to  denationalize  them  nor  to  make 
them  any  the  less  patriotic  in  the  upbuilding  of  a  strong 
nation.  They  know  also  that  the  missionaries  have  been 
urging  them  for  many  years  to  take  upon  themselves  the 
responsibility  for  their  own  work.  No  one  can  rejoice 
more  than  the  missionary  himself  to  see  the  work  of 
many  years  grow  and  to  see  the  congregations  develop. 

The  missionary  should  never  allow  himself  to  be  the 
pastor  over  a  Chinese  church.  The  pastor  is  a  perma- 
nent office  in  the  church.  The  office  of  the  foreign  mis- 
sionary is  only  temporary.  He  will  do  a  far  more  im- 
portant work  in  training  young  men  to  discharge  their 
duties  as  pastors  over  the  churches.  If  he  is  wise  he  will 
adopt  methods  that  shall  make  it  evident  to  the  Chinese 
Christians  that  to  rely  upon  the  missionary  is  weakness. 
This  calls  for  self-sacrifice  on  the  part  of  the  missionary, 
but  he  cannot  afford  to  ignore  this  important  matter. 
He  must  impress  it  upon  the  minds  of  the  native  Chris- 
tians that  his  joy  is  fulfilled  and  his  work  crowned  with 
success  when  they  are  able  to  get  along  without  him. 
Let  him  adopt  the  spirit  of  John  the  Baptist  "  I  must  de- 


340      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

crease  "  but  the  body  of  Christ  in  China  must  increase. 
In  a  great  mission  field  offering  a  thousand  opportuni- 
ties in  every  province  of  the  empire  it  is  a  very  easy 
thing  to  take  up  new  evangelistic  work.  If  the  grown- 
up churches  of  their  own  accord  could  be  induced  to  be- 
come co-workers  with  the  missionary  in  the  new  evangel- 
istic endeavour  a  twofold  good  would  be  accomplished. 
If  not  they  ought  still  be  informed  about  the  results  of 
the  work  and  urged  to  remember  the  new  adherents  in 
their  prayers.  The  missionary  is  the  proper  person  to 
lead  the  native  churches  in  China  to  become  missionary 
churches.  They  must  be  such  if  they  are  to  be  a  power 
in  the  new  China.  Not  only  are  they  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  their  own  townsmen  and  kinsmen  but  they  should 
have  an  active  interest  in  mission  work  undertaken  many 
miles  away  and  each  congregation  ought  to  give  either 
one  of  its  own  men  as  an  evangelist  to  that  work  or  a 
substantial  contribution  to  carry  the  gospel  to  them,  or 
better  still,  do  both.  In  caring  for  their  own  country- 
men living  miles  away  they  will  not  be  likely  to  be  over- 
interested  in  an  anti-foreign  movement  except  in  so  far 
as  it  may  be  necessary  to  preserve  their  own  local  work 
under  their  own  supervision  and  to  this,  each  spiritually 
developed  congregation  has  an  inalienable  right.  There 
will  be  little  trouble  between  the  Chinese  local  churches 
and  the  foreign  missionary  if  the  latter  respects  the  rights 
of  the  former. 


XIX 

CHINESE  LOCAL  CHURCHES;  SELF-SUPPORTING 
AND  SELF-SUSTAINING 

There  is  a  difference  between  a  self-supporting  and  a 
self-sustaining  church.  A  self-supporting  church  is  one 
which  is  able  to  raise  all  funds  sufficient  to  meet  its  local 
financial  obligations.  Such  a  church  does  not  need  any 
assistance  from  outside  sources.  The  test  is  simply  a 
financial  one,  not  a  spiritual. 

A  self-sustaining  church  is  one  which  is  able  to  main- 
tain its  regular  services  through  the  leadership  of  its  own 
members,  should  there  not  be  a  regular  preacher  stationed 
over  the  church.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  church 
members  make  use  of  their  spiritual  gifts.  Such  a  church 
can  be  absolutely  independent  of  a  salaried  pastor  or 
preacher  if  necessary. 

The  problems  connected  with  raising  money  enough 
to  support  its  work  need  not  trouble  a  self-sustaining 
church.  Here  the  test  is  spiritual  and  not  financial.  A 
self-sustaining  church  may  also  be  a  self-supporting 
church  by  supporting  a  pastor. 

Self-Supporting  Churches  in  China 
The  Christian  law,  "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to 
receive,"  holds  good  on  the  foreign  field  as  well  as  at 
home.     The  Chinese  Christians  develop  just  in  propor- 
tion as  they  are  willing  to  give. 

During  the  past  decade  they  have  made  more  progress 
341 


342      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

in  the  matter  of  self-support  than  all  the  eighty  previous 
years  of  their  history.  This  progress  is  illustrated  by  the 
following  statistics  of  the  author's  field,  which  is  a  typical 
one  in  this  respect : 


Year 

Outstations         ( 

'Church  Members 

Money  Contributed 

1895 

5 

150 

t>    125.00 

1898 

10 

290 

950.00 

1901 

19 

504 

2,250.00 

1902 

25 

622 

2,700.00 

1903 

30 

752 

3,800.00 

1904 

34 

862 

4,426.00 

1905 

34 

868 

4,000.00 

Per  member,  1895 t>  -^o 

1898 3.20 

1901 4.00 

1902 4.50 

1903 5-00 

1904 5.00 

1905 4.60 


These  sums  include  the  donations  of  the  adherents  as 
well  as  those  of  the  regular  church  members.  It  is  diffi- 
cult for  Christians  in  our  home  land  to  appreciate  how 
much  five  silver  dollars  represent  in  the  lives  of  the 
Chinese.  One  could  hire,  for  instance,  thousands  of  arti- 
sans and  workmen  in  South  China  at  the  rate  of  five 
dollars  Mexican  per  month.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to 
say  that  five  dollars  silver  represents  to  the  average 
Chinese  Christian  as  much  as  fifty  dollars  gold  does  to 
the  average  American  Christian.  If  American  churches 
received  an  average  annual  contribution  of  fifty  dollars 
per  member  each  year,  such  liberal  giving  would  be 
analogous  to  what  the  Chinese  Christians  are  doing  for 
themselves  towards  self-support.  There  are  hardly  any 
serious  obstacles  in  the  path  of  the  missionary  in  South 
China  in  guiding  the  churches  towards  this  goal.  The 
statistics  given  above  are  but  an  illustration  of  the  prog- 


Chinese  Local  Churches  343 

ress  that  has  been  made  by  the  Chinese  Christians  in 
various  parts  of  the  empire.  It  disproves  the  statements 
that  have  sometimes  been  made  that  the  Chinese  are  too 
poor  to  establish  self-supporting  churches.  If  a  com- 
parison be  made  between  the  average  American  and  the 
average  Chinese,  it  may  well  be  said  that  the  Chinese  are 
extremely  poor  and  if  expenses  of  American  churches 
were  to  hold  for  China,  then  it  certainly  would  be  well- 
nigh  impossible  to  build  up  self-supporting  churches. 
But  the  missionary  approaches  the  subject  of  self-support 
wholly  from  the  Chinese  point  of  view.  All  the  Chris- 
tians before  their  conversion,  for  instance,  are  compelled 
by  their  neighbours  to  make  large  contributions  for  the 
maintenance  of  ancestor  worship  and  Buddhist  idolatry. 
By  a  decree  issued  by  the  Chinese  Government,  the  na- 
tive Christians  are  exempt  from  this  expense.  This  fact 
gives  the  missionary  a  fine  opportunity  to  urge  the 
Christians  to  bring  this  former  yearly  tribute  into  sub- 
jection to  the  cause  of  Christ.  Then  also,  the  salaries  of 
the  Chinese  preachers  and  ordained  pastors  ought  not  to 
be  so  large  as  to  make  it  impossible  for  an  average-sized 
church  to  raise  the  money.  It  is  impossible  to  dogma- 
tize upon  such  a  question,  which  must  be  judged  accord- 
ing to  local  conditions.  But  on  one  field,  at  least,  it  has 
been  possible  to  solve  the  problem  in  a  case  where  an 
ordained  pastor  was  receiving  a  salary  of  nearly  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  per  annum.  This  was  almost  twice 
as  much  as  that  of  an  ordained  evangelist,  but  the  man 
was  worth  it.  He  became  the  pastor  of  two  churches, 
which  divided  the  responsibility  for  his  salary  equally. 
He  has  been  pastor  of  these  churches  for  a  number  of 
years  and  has  had  his  salary  increased  until  it  now 
amounts  to  almost  two  hundred  dollars.     A  pastor  on 


344      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

that  field  commanding  a  salary  as  large  as  this  will  be 
obliged  to  minister  to  two  churches  for  some  time  before 
any  church  is  able  to  pay  so  large  a  salary,  excepting  the 
church  at  the  central  station,  which  is  now  supporting 
two  preachers  and  a  school-teacher.  It  has  been  a  settled 
policy  of  the  missionary  never  to  interfere  in  the  regula- 
tion of  the  salaries  which  the  Christians  were  willing  to 
pay  their  own  preachers.  As  a  rule  the  Christians  are 
more  liberal  than  are  the  missionaries.  An  evangelist 
who  has  come  from  the  rice-fields  or  from  the  shop  will, 
if  he  prove  himself  acceptable  to  the  churches,  receive  a 
salary  larger  than  he  had  before  he  became  a  Christian 
worker.  The  plan  of  the  missionaries  has  been  to  pay 
about  the  same  sum  that  the  man  earned  as  an  artisan. 
It  is  important  that  the  salaries  be  held  in  check  some- 
what, but  this  can  be  done  only  if  the  churches  have  a 
sufficient  number  of  preachers  and  teachers  from  which 
to  select,  or  if  some  of  the  churches  can  get  along  with- 
out a  salaried  preacher.  A  church  may,  in  order  to  keep 
pace  with  the  progress  of  other  churches,  desire  to  call  a 
preacher  and  pay  his  salary.  That  may  be  considered 
good  form,  but  it  sometimes  happens  that  in  their  haste 
to  attain  this  desired  goal,  money  is  accepted  that  does 
more  mischief  than  good.  It  has  already  been  mentioned 
that  owing  to  the  political  conditions  in  China,  men  hav- 
ing troubles  or  lawsuits  with  their  neighbours  will  seek 
to  attach  themselves  to  Christian  missions.  A  case  of 
this  kind  happened  on  the  author's  field,  where  a  church 
desiring  to  become  self-supporting  enrolled  a  relative  of 
one  of  the  church  members  and  a  number  of  his  friends 
as  adherents.  These  men  were  of  the  weaker  element  in 
their  village  and  they  hoped  that  by  uniting  themselves 
with  the  Christian  congregation,  they  might  be  able  to 


Chinese  Local  Churches  345 

rise  in  power.  The  new  adherents  made  a  liberal  con- 
tribution towards  the  preacher's  salary  with  the  aim  of 
winning  the  latter's  favour.  The  preacher  was  aware  of 
the  dangers  involved  and  sought  the  advice  of  the  mis- 
sionary. The  result  was  that  the  preacher  advised  the 
church  to  refuse  the  offering  of  the  new  adherents,  which 
was  done  only  after  much  personal  work  and  moral  per- 
suasion. Soon  after  this  a  great  struggle  arose  between 
the  two  parties  in  the  village  of  the  new  adherents.  Both 
were  committing  outrages  upon  each  other  so  that  the 
church  saw  itself  compelled  to  refuse  to  allow  the  ad- 
herents to  come  to  worship  any  longer  for  fear  of  being 
connected  with  the  crimes  in  some  way.  This  the  church 
could  consistently  do,  but  had  it  received  the  money  of 
these  men  it  would  have  had  a  grave  problem  on  its 
hands.  Owing  to  the  lack  of  sufficient  funds  to  cover 
the  preacher's  salary  the  missionary  was  asked  to  con- 
tinue the  appropriation  to  this  church  for  another  year 
or  two.  This  he  did,  knowing  that  the  church  could 
uphold  higher  ideals  if  she  were  not  pressed  to  make  the 
raising  of  the  preacher's  salary  the  most  important  con- 
sideration. No  local  church  should  be  allowed  to  have 
the  impression  that  if  it  is  able  to  raise  the  preacher's 
salary,  it  may  solve  all  its  problems  as  it  sees  fit.  The 
Chinese  hold  strenuously  to  the  idea  that  if  they  are 
able  to  pay  the  preacher's  salary,  they  become  self-deter- 
mining. But  experience  teaches  that  care  must  be  exer- 
cised in  this.  They  must  be  taught  that  the  ability  to 
raise  money,  while  necessary  to  a  vigorous  extension  of 
the  Kingdom,  does  not  constitute  the  most  essential 
element  in  the  make-up  of  a  church.  It  is  here  that  the 
necessity  of  a  church's  being  self-sustaining  makes  itself 
felt. 


34^      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

Self-Sustaining  Churches  in  China 
There  are  a  score  of  congregations  on  the  Kityang 
field  which  can  carry  on  their  local  worship  without  the 
leadership  of  a  preacher,  and  at  times  do  so.  Five  mis- 
sions founded  by  Rev.  Wm.  Ashmore,  D.  D.,  Kityang, 
Gueh  Sia,  Peh  Thah,  Sua  O  and  Hua  Cheng  are  self- 
sustaining  churches  to-day,  though  because  of  present 
phenomenal  opportunities,  each  has  engaged  a  preacher 
to  proclaim  the  gospel  in  the  surrounding  territory. 
The  church  of  Chimkhe  is  a  typical  illustration  of  a 
self-sustaining  church.  This  church  began  as  a  mission 
under  very  doubtful  conditions,  owing  to  serious  clan 
troubles.  Among  the  young  men,  who  at  first  ridiculed 
the  attempt  to  estabhsh  a  Christian  mission  at  their  place, 
was  Lim  Siau  Hun,  a  Confucian  scholar,  who  had  just 
received  appointment  by  his  own  people  to  teach  a 
Confucian  school  of  boys  at  Chimkhe.  The  preaching 
of  the  gospel  soon  brought  Lim  Siau  Hun  to  thinking 
about  the  momentous  questions  involved,  and  he  often 
sought  private  talks  with  the  preacher  stationed  there. 
The  two  men  soon  became  firm  friends,  and  when  after 
a  few  months  Lim  Siau  Hun  announced  that  he  had 
decided  to  become  a  Christian  the  gentry  opposed  him 
at  once.  He  was  visited  by  Confucian  scholars  of  rank, 
who  had  been  sent  for  by  his  kinsmen  to  persuade  him 
from  the  foolish  step  that  would  spoil  his  promising 
literary  career.  But  even  these  learned  men  were  un- 
able to  bring  about  any  change  in  the  determination  of 
the  young  scholar.  He  began  to  take  active  part  in  the 
religious  services  and  was  soon  able  to  deliver  a  short 
sermon.  Suitable  books  for  self-development  were  sup- 
plied to  him  and  within  a  year  he  began  to  accompany 
the  preacher  to  the  surrounding  towns  and  villages  to 


Chinese  Local  Churches  347 

preach  the  gospel.  His  example  led  two  or  three  other 
young  men  to  do  likewise.  When  the  Chiang  Mui  peo- 
ple requested  that  the  Word  of  God  be  preached  in  their 
place,  Lim  Siau  Hun  and  the  preacher  went  every  alter- 
nate Sunday  and  conducted  services  there.  After  a  few 
years  the  outstations  on  the  Kityang  field  increased  to 
such  an  extent  that  there  was  a  lack  of  trained  native 
co-workers,  and  it  was  felt  that  the  Chimkhe  congrega- 
tion could  get  along  with  its  own  native  ability.  The 
congregation  appointed  Lim  Siau  Hun  to  become  the 
teacher  of  a  boys'  school  and  to  preach  to  them  on 
Sundays.  The  two  men  who  had  been  elected  deacons 
were  requested  to  look  after  the  interests  in  the  outlying 
towns,  such  as  places  of  prayer,  the  Chiang  Mui  mission, 
and  the  opportunities  then  offering  in  the  market-town 
of  Li-O,  just  across  the  river.  Lim  Siau  Hun  has 
proved  himself  such  a  rare  leader  that  he  has  been  able 
to  maintain  this  important  position  ever  since. 

The  development  from  Chimkhe,  represented  on  the 
chart  by  the  letter  B,  has  been  largely  due  to  the  efforts 
of  this  self-sustaining  church  at  Chimkhe.  There  are 
other  stations  where  the  Christians  by  the  use  of  their 
spiritual  gifts  have  been  able  to  develop  a  work  perhaps 
not  as  large  as  that  centred  about  Chimkhe,  but 
sufficient  to  encourage  the  Christians  to  continue  along 
the  same  lines. 

It  has  been  found  advisable  to  have  a  trained  native  co- 
worker stationed  in  centres  of  strategic  importance, 
where  there  are  large  business  interests  and  where  many 
people  from  all  directions  come  together.  This  does  not 
imply  that  the  church  members  at  such  a  station  do  not 
make  use  of  their  gifts,  but  the  opportunities  for 
evangelizing  are  so  great  at  such  centres  and  there  are 


348      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

so  many  cases  of  Christians  needing  aid  and  advice 
which  need  careful  consideration  that  no  one  but  an 
experienced  preacher  would  do.  The  market-town  of 
Mio  (see  chart,  Centre  C)  which,  besides  its  own  popu- 
lation of  forty  thousand  people,  is  surrounded  by  many 
hundreds  of  towns  and  villages,  is  an  instance.  The 
Christians  at  this  point  are  able  to  carry  on  their  own  re- 
ligious services,  but  no  one  who  is  obliged  to  earn  his 
daily  rice  at  his  own  business,  could  attend  to  the  many 
things  that  come  up  at  such  a  centre.  Furthermore,  it 
is  desirable  that  such  centres  remain  for  the  time  being 
in  close  touch  with  the  missionary.  He  will  frequently 
stop  at  them  in  order  to  meet  Christians  and  native 
co-workers  from  the  surrounding  churches  and  out- 
stations.  At  specific  periods  "  institutes  "  for  the  training 
of  Christians  or  preachers  and  deacons  may  be  arranged. 
The  problems  and  difficulties  that  continually  arise  in  and 
about  such  strategic  centres  have  convinced  the  missionary 
that  the  influence  of  the  central  station  ought  to  be  main- 
tained, even  though  such  churches  become  self-support- 
ing. In  order  to  accomplish  this,  the  missionary  must 
plan  for  those  things  in  the  earliest  stages  of  the  work. 
It  is  the  safest  for  him  to  obtain  the  major  interest 
in  the  church  property,  which  should  always  be  of 
respectable  proportions  at  such  centres.  This  right  of 
property  should  never  be  relinquished  by  him,  as  the  de- 
velopment of  the  work  in  and  about  such  strategic  points 
must  be  conserved.  Had  the  missionary  at  Kityang,  for 
instance,  not  had  absolute  control  over  the  property  of 
the  •'  haunted  "  temple,  the  purity  of  the  native  church 
in  and  about  Mio  would  have  been  seriously  endangered. 
In  and  about  the  town  the  clans  and  families  are  fre- 
quently in  a  state  of  warfare.     This  is  nothing  extraordi- 


Chinese  Local  Churches  349 

nary  in  any  part  of  Southern  China,  but  the  young  mis- 
sion at  Mio  was  handicapped  from  the  very  beginning 
in   having  a  large  element  from  this   class   of   people. 
Matters  became  worse  when  opposing  parties  attended 
the  services.     The  young  adherents  and  Christians  were 
unwise  enough  to  take  sides,  and  to  make  matters  still 
worse,  the  evangelist  was  found  guilty  of  having  re- 
ceived bribes  in  money  from  one  party  to  use  his  influ- 
ence against  their  opponents.    Speedy  discipline  followed, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  but  hardly  was  this  matter  settled 
than  it  was  discovered  that  the  leading  Christian,  who 
had  stood  foremost  in  the  entire  development  of  the  work 
at   Mio    from   the  start,  had   received   bribes    from  the 
other  party.     It  was  far  more  difficult  for  the  missionary 
to  nuUify  this  man's  influence  over  the  people  than  in 
the   case  of  the  preacher.     Being  a  native  of  Mio  and 
having   a   medicine  shop  close  to  the  chapel,  he    had 
proved   himself   a   true   friend   to   many  in   dispensing 
medicines  when  sick,  and  had  led  them  to  the  knowledge 
of  Christian  truth.     To  these  new  converts,  the  moral 
delinquency  of  their  friend  in  receiving  a  bribe,  recog- 
nized as  perfectly  legitimate  in  all  China  in  greasing  the 
wheels  of  justice,  seemed  too  insignificant  for  the  drastic 
measures  of  the  missionary.     When  it  was  proposed  that 
the  guilty  man  resign  all  his  official  positions  (deacon 
and  treasurer)  there  was  a  protest  on  the  part  of  his 
friends.     There  was  nothing  else  to  do  but  to  tell  them 
that  if  they  found  fault  with  the  purity  of  the  church  of 
Christ  and  its   discipline,  they  would  do  the  church  a 
favour  by  staying  away  from  the  services.     Several  had 
to  be   instructed  personally  that  their  presence  was  no 
longer   desired.     The    mission    at    Mio   was    practically 
reorganized.    The  leaven  of  "  graft"  was  killed  in  Mio,  and 


350      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

the  dangers  of  the  same  system  were  made  more  unlikely 
in  all  the  surrounding  churches.  The  firm  policy  of  the 
missionary  could  not  have  been  carried  out  if  the  church 
property  had  not  been  deeded  to  the  American  Baptist 
Missionary  Union.  This  man  is  still  under  discipline, 
but  he  has  shown  the  proper  spirit  of  repentance  and 
submission  and  many  hope  that  he  will  yet  develop  into 
a  more  useful  man  for  the  cause  than  ever  before. 

Some  Practical  Results  of  Self-Sustaining  Churches 
Self-sustaining  churches  emphasize  the  spiritual  devel- 
opment of  all  the  church  members.  It  places  the  re- 
sponsibility of  worship  upon  the  congregation  more  than 
upon  the  preacher.  There  are  no  churches  or  missions 
on  the  author's  field  which  do  not  begin  the  Sunday  with 
a  prayer  meeting.  A  large  proportion  of  church  mem- 
bers spend  the  greater  part  of  Sunday  in  and  about  the 
house  of  worship.  Some  of  the  more  advanced  Chris- 
tians teach  the  new  converts  to  read  the  word  of  God  ; 
and  the  Bible  school  in  the  afternoon  is  attended  by 
nearly  all  the  members.  Many  of  them  are  kept  do- 
ing something  towards  the  extension  of  the  Kingdom. 
This  helps  much  in  uniting  a  church  into  an  enthusi- 
astic body.  The  spirit  of  loyalty  to  the  church  and  the 
cause  is  developed  to  a  remarkable  degree.  This  was 
made  evident  to  all  during  the  Boxer  revolt,  when  the 
Christians  remained  faithful  in  spite  of  the  tremendous 
pressure  that  was  brought  upon  them  to  forsake  the 
new  faith  and  return  to  the  old  order  of  things.  The 
standard  of  preaching  is  necessarily  raised  among  our 
evangelists  and  preachers  among  self-sustaining  churches. 
When  laymen  can  preach  in  a  way  acceptable  to  the 
Christians  and  to  the  unconverted,  the  man  who  receives 


Chinese  Local  Churches  3^1 

pay  from  a  church  must  be  worthy  of  his  hire.  Wolves 
in  sheep's  clothing  are  soon  detected  and  are  eliminated 
by  the  churches.  Only  a  virile  and  aggressive  native 
church  will  be  able  to  overcome  the  difficulties  in  the  way 
of  a  complete  triumph.  The  desired  evangelization  of 
the  Chinese  people  will  never  be  accomplished  through 
the  large  amounts  of  foreign  money  sent  by  churches 
in  Western  countries.  The  longer  the  native  churches 
depend  upon  this  support,  the  weaker  and  more  useless 
they  become.  A  self-sustaining  church  is  absolutely  in- 
dependent from  foreign  money  and  it  is  right  that  such 
a  church  should  glory  in  its  independence,  especially  if 
this  fact  helps  to  further  the  progress  of  the  gospel.  The 
native  church  lays  hold  of  a  subtle  Chinese  trait  by  claim- 
ing independence  and  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  the 
God  Jehovah  is  the  God  of  the  Chinese  nation.  This 
policy  of  development  was  the  one  adopted  years  ago  on 
the  Kityang  field.  When  it  seemed  that  the  weak,  strug- 
gling missions  were  hardly  able  to  exist  in  spite  of  the 
help  of  the  foreign  missionary,  they  were  told  that  the 
work  was  theirs  and  that  the  missionary  was  simply  their 
helper.  They  were  expected  to  take  possession  of  the 
entire  district  in  the  name  of  Christ  and  to  evangelize  the 
towns  and  villages.  The  organization  of  their  own  mis- 
sionary society  was  only  a  logical  outgrowth  of  this  idea 
of  native  predominance  in  the  carrying  out  of  Christ's 
command.  There  is  to-day  among  the  native  co-work- 
ers a  spirit  of  enthusiasm  for  heroic  work  in  hard  fields, 
which  would  have  been  impossible  previous  to  the  organi- 
zation of  their  missionary  society  and  the  choice  of  Wei- 
chow  as  their  mission  field.  Men  have  faced  grave 
dangers,  and  in  some  instances  it  was  simply  taking  their 
lives  in  their  hands  to  venture  into  certain  parts  of  their 


352      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

mission  field,  yet  they  did  it ;  and  when  they  told  the 
story  of  their  work  and  their  trials  what  else  could  have 
been  the  result  among  Christians  true  hearted  and  loyal, 
but  that  they  should  pour  out  their  funds  and  send  more 
men.  It  is  now  an  honour  among  the  best  of  the  preach- 
ers to  be  able  to  say  that  they  have  preached  the  word  of 
God  for  years  in  the  wicked  but  needy  Weichow.  Chi- 
nese churches,  depending  upon  the  American  dollar, 
could  never  have  been  able  to  accomplish  these  results. 
There  must  be  a  self-sustaining  church  first.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  eliminate  foreign  aid  entirely.  Let  them  re- 
ceive aid  for  their  own  preacher  and  give  a  collection, 
which  oftentimes  will  amount  to  almost  as  much  as  they 
receive  in  aid  for  the  support  of  missionary  work.  The 
matter  of  financial  independence  is  important,  but  self- 
sustenance  and  a  deep  missionary  spirit  is  of  the  very  first 
import.  The  test  of  a  church  is  after  all  not  how  much 
money  it  can  raise,  but  how  much  spiritual  power  it  pos- 
sesses. The  Chinese  churches  may  be  well  satisfied  if 
they  are  able  to  use  the  words  of  the  Apostle  Peter, 
"  Silver  and  gold  have  I  none,  but  what  I  have  give  I 
thee.  In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  rise  up  and  walk." 
Here  was  a  spiritual  gift  of  the  apostle  that  did  more  good 
than  thousands  of  dollars  could  do,  and  so  the  self-sustain- 
ing church  is  set  in  China  to  dispense  life  and  salva- 
tion in  the  name  of  Christ  Jesus. 


XX 

CHINESE  PREACHERS,  THEIR  CALL  TO  THE  MIN- 
ISTRY  AND  THEIR  TRAINING 

The  limitations  of  the  foreign  missionary  in  his  per- 
sonal work  among  the  Chinese  are  more  largely  due  to 
racial  considerations  than  to  any  other  factor.  A  new  ad- 
herent seeking  further  knowledge  respecting  Christian 
teachings  will  go  to  the  native  preacher  or  to  the  mis- 
sionary's servant  for  information  rather  than  to  the  mis- 
sionary himself.  He  makes  it  his  business  at  the  same 
time  to  learn  all  he  can  about  the  habits  and  disposition 
of  the  foreign  teacher,  in  order  to  get  a  clearer  concep- 
tion of  the  new  rehgion.  There  are  very  few,  if  any,  mis- 
sionaries in  China  who  have  led  many  Chinese  to 
Christ  by  personal  contact  with  them.  The  missionary 
does  not  neglect  to  talk  to  men  about  their  salvation  in 
private  conversation,  but  a  man  enlightened,  will  always 
prefer  to  go  to  a  brother  Chinese  for  further  light  regard- 
ing the  many  problems  which  confront  him  as  he  con- 
siders the  question  of  becoming  a  Christian.  It  is  dis- 
tinctly the  work  of  the  Chinese  co-workers  to  lead  these 
seekers  of  truth  into  a  fuller  light  and  it  is  very  proper 
that  this  be  recognized  by  all  concerned. 

The  foreign  missionary  usually  has  on  his  hands  a  large 
number  of  perplexing  problems  from  various  parts  of  the 
field,  which  often  tax  all  his  strength  and  time.  If  added 
to  these  cares  of  church  planting  and  church  training 
there  were  added  also  the  work  of  guiding  the  new  ad- 

353 


354      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

herents  into  the  first  steps  of  the  new  faith  the  number  of 
missionaries  would  have  to  be  increased  in  order  to  carry 
on  the  work,  even  in  its  present  dimensions. 

The  Functions  of  the  Chinese  Ministry 
The  need  of  the  young  Chinese  churches  is  for  leaders 
who,  possessing  spiritual  gifts  to  guide  them,  will  at  the 
same  time  be  living  examples  of  the  gospel  they  preach. 
The  local  churches,  as  spiritual  organisms  created  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  should  be  able,  if  necessary,  to  live  and  thrive 
independent  of  a  paid  ministry.  The  individual  church 
members  should  be  trained  to  exercise  their  spiritual 
gifts,  so  that  though  they  have  no  preacher  they  can 
properly  conduct  worship.  But  while  this  is  true,  ex- 
perience teaches  that  a  church  which  has  a  trained  over- 
seer or  preacher  will  flourish  more  than  one  without  such 
a  leader.  Missionaries  do  well  to  study  closely  the 
methods  of  the  great  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles.  When  he 
revisited  the  little  churches  organized  in  Asia  Minor,  on 
his  way  back  to  Antioch,  he  appointed  and  '•  ordained 
them  elders  in  every  church."  While  it  is  profitable  and 
even  necessary  to  teach  the  local  churches  to  stir  up  the 
gift  that  each  member  possesses,  it  is  wise  also  to  follow 
the  Apostle  Paul  in  appointing  men  as  leaders,  who  shall 
give  their  entire  attention  to  feeding  the  flock.  These 
men  are  set  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  battle  in  China  and 
the  Church  of  God  needs  to  remember  these  heroic  men 
in  her  prayers.  They  stand  between  the  foreign  mission- 
ary and  the  hundreds  of  adherents.  Receiving  on  the 
one  hand  religious  instruction  from  the  missionary,  they 
transmit  the  same  in  the  oriental  form  to  the  Christian 
and  adherent. 

Naturally  there    are    many    petty    annoyances    and 


> 

< 

O 

— ( 


Chinese  Preachers 


355 


troubles  arising  between  the  Christian  converts  and  non- 
Christian  people.  The  Christians  come  to  the  native 
preachers  to  help  them  out  of  their  difficulties.  If  the 
preachers  were  to  bring  all  these  cases  of  irritation  and 
troubles  to  the  missionary  it  would  be  difficult  for  him  to 
attend  to  anything  else.  The  preachers  try  as  well  as 
they  can  to  smooth  out  the  difficulties  and  make  peace 
between  the  opposing  parties.  It  is  often  surprising  how 
well  they  succeed.  In  time  of  persecution  and  riot  it  is 
the  Chinese  preacher  and  pastor  who  frequently  suffer 
the  most.  When  a  massacre  of  missionaries  occurs  in 
China  the  people  in  the  home  land  hear  only  of  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  foreigners.  It  would  startle  many  to  know  of 
the  sacrifices  and  trials  of  these  faithful  co-workers.  The 
integrity  of  the  Chinese  pastors  and  leaders  is  one  of  the 
underlying  causes  of  the  prosperity  and  steadfastness  of 
the  Chinese  Church  to  day.  During  the  Boxer  disturb- 
ances, the  writer  often  went  alone  into  the  city  of  Kit- 
yang  and  he  would  hear  hardly  a  word  uttered  against 
him,  but  if  there  happened  to  be  a  native  preacher  ac- 
companying him  at  the  time,  this  man  would  be  called 
every  wicked  name,  and  threats  would  be  made  against 
him  for  not  forsaking  the  foreigner.  These  Chinese  pas- 
tors, preachers,  evangelists,  teachers  and  deacons  are 
servants  of  God,  about  whom  the  Church  of  God 
throughout  the  world  ought  to  know.  This  knowledge 
is  in  a  measure  made  possible  through  such  books  as 
*•  Pastor  Hsi,"  "  Two  Heroes  of  Cathay,"  and  other  simi- 
lar books. 

The  Best  Men  for  the  Gospel  Ministry 
The  conditions  now  existing  in  China  make  it  imper- 
ative that  only  the  very  best  men  attainable  should  be  set 


35^      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

apart  for  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  Aside  from  the 
need  of  such  men  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  church  itself, 
there  is  need  of  the  best  talent  at  this  time  because  of  the 
criticism  and  hostility  directed  against  foreign  institutions 
by  the  common  people. 

The  Chinese  are  in  a  receptive  mood  to-day  for  those 
things  that  appear  to  them  beneficial  to  their  civilization. 
They  are  equally  hostile  and  opposed  to  the  introduction 
of  things  that  seem  detrimental  to  the  structure  of  their 
social  system.  It  would  be  useless  to  hope  that  the 
average  Chinese  mind  under  the  overwhelming  influence 
of  a  pagan  civiHzation  would  pronounce  the  proclamation 
of  the  gospel  and  the  establishment  of  the  Christian 
church  the  thing  China  most  needed.  The  old  antago- 
nism between  superstition  and  idolatry  and  the  gospel  of 
Christ  still  exists.  But  if  the  Chinese  preachers  are  men 
of  tact  and  ability  much  of  the  severity  of  the  conflict 
may  be  prevented.  The  author  has  in  mind  a  man  of 
this  type.  A  scholar  of  the  Chinese  classics  himself,  he 
is  able  to  speak  with  a  deep  sympathy  to  scholars  who  are 
troubled  because  of  the  conflict  between  the  new  and  the 
old.  He  has  kept  himself  informed  of  the  recent  prog- 
ress of  the  reform  movement  and  is  making  the  most  of 
the  present  opportunities.  He  has  been  privileged  to  ex- 
plain the  gospel  to  a  number  of  magistrates  during  the 
past  few  years.  His  views  regarding  the  duty  of  the 
church  to  abstain  from  meddling  in  lawsuits  are  as  ab- 
solute as  those  of  any  American  citizen  can  be.  He 
therefore  enjoys  the  friendship  of  the  influential  gentry 
of  the  city,  who  resent  the  unreasonable  interference  in 
the  yamen  by  the  agents  of  the  French  priests.  He  has 
been  a  safe  man  for  the  important  centre  where  he  is,  and 
has  over  and  over  again  refused  money  offered  by  people 


Chinese  Preachers  357 

who  were  benefited  by  his  kindness.  Though  his  salary 
is  paid  by  the  local  church,  he  understands  too  clearly 
the  necessity  of  a  harmonious  working  together  with  the 
missionary  to  allow  any  anti-foreign  spirit  to  develop. 
As  an  example  of  a  scholar  versed  in  the  truths  of 
Scripture,  peace-loving  and  contented,  he  has  been  an  ex- 
cellent aid  to  the  missionary  in  building  up  a  safe  and 
vigorous  body  of  evangelists  and  preachers.  Pastor 
Ting  Si  Tien  has  now  been  at  one  station  continuously 
for  eleven  years  and  during  the  absence  of  the  foreign 
missionary  on  furlough  has  borne  the  burdens  of  a  large 
part  of  the  entire  field.  But  not  all  of  the  preachers  and 
evangelists  are  of  this  type. 

Some  of  our  young  preachers,  in  the  enthusiasm  of 
their  new  faith,  will  be  iconoclasts  in  spite  of  all  instruc- 
tions. Instances  have  occurred  where  native  preachers 
have  so  aroused  the  anger  of  their  relatives  and  clansmen 
by  their  tactless  assault  upon  idolatry  that  they  have  been 
driven  out  of  the  village,  the  heathen  chasing  them  with 
drawn  knives  and  swords.  Their  methods  were  such  as 
ought  not  to  be  used  in  proclaiming  God's  love  to  a  lost 
world.  The  simple  methods  used  by  Tek  Bu,  a  colpor- 
teur and  evangelist,  were  far  better.  On  one  occasion  he 
was  overtaken  by  highway  robbers,  stripped  of  all  cloth- 
ing and  robbed  of  all  his  valuables  except  the  reHgious 
books  he  had  with  him.  Instead  of  finding  fault,  how- 
ever, he  began  to  preach  Christ  Jesus  to  them,  with  the 
result  that  the  robbers  returned  him  his  clothing  and  eye- 
glasses. He  felt  encouraged  and  began  to  pray  and  ex- 
hort and  soon  they  returned  to  him  the  larger  part  of  the 
money  they  had  taken  and  told  him  to  go  in  peace. 

Chinese  preachers,  however,  are  not  always  able  to 
avoid  persecution.     The  gospel  causes  a  tragic  division 


358      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

among  men  to-day  the  same  as  it  did  centuries  ago. 
Some  men  cleave  unto  the  gospel  the  moment  they  hear 
it,  others  follow  later.  Again,  there  is  the  large  class 
who  cannot  see  anything  attractive  in  the  gospel.  There 
are  those,  too,  who  oppose  and  blaspheme  from  the  very 
beginning.  Still,  it  is  also  true  that  there  is  a  vast  dif- 
ference between  mission  fields  where  circumspect  and 
cautious  native  preachers  have  laboured  and  those  where 
men  had  preached  who  unwittingly  aroused  the  anger 
and  prejudice  of  the  people  by  unwise  methods.  The 
effect  of  the  mistakes  of  some  of  these  men  cannot  be 
overcome  for  many  years.  The  demands  made  upon  the 
native  leaders  of  the  churches  are  very  great,  and 
in  a  way  the  tests  upon  their  patience,  resources  and 
good-will  are  greater  than  the  tests  made  upon  the 
ministers  in  a  Christian  country.  Present  conditions  in 
China  make  it  impossible  for  the  average  Christian  con- 
vert to  escape  persecution ;  and  not  every  Christian  is 
wiUing  to  allow  men  of  the  baser  sort  to  inflict  injury 
upon  him.  This  results  often  in  very  bad  snarls,  and 
usually  it  is  only  the  native  preacher  who  is  able  to  estab- 
lish peace  between  both  parties.  It  is  evident  from  this 
that  the  young  men  who  are  to  be  the  pastors  and 
preachers  of  churches  surrounded  by  these  hostile  con- 
ditions must  be  men  who  are  convinced  of  their  call- 
ing to  preach  the  Word. 

The  Chinese  churches  do  not  enter  largely  into  the 
psychological  views  of  his  calling  to  the  ministry.  The 
Christians  judge  the  man  according  to  the  missionary 
spirit  which  he  has  revealed  in  the  past.  They  beHeve 
that  he  should  prove  himself  a  practical  missionary  in  his 
own  local  church  ere  they  can  consider  him  a  proper 
person  to  preach  the  gospel. 


Chinese  Preachers  359 

How  They  Should  be  Selected 
The  foreign  missionary  should  refrain  as  much  as  pos- 
sible from  calling  men  to  leave  their  shops  and  fields  and 
accept  wages  as  evangelists.  Not  only  are  the  present 
domestic  conditions  in  China  such  as  to  offer  temptations 
to  many,  but  it  is  a  question  whether  the  missionary  can 
make  as  careful  a  choice  as  the  native  churches  them- 
selves. The  foreigner  often  forgets  the  dangers  that  con- 
front the  average  Chinese  as  he  leaves  his  shop  or  plough 
to  become  a  fellow  worker  with  the  foreigner,  whose 
political  standing  is  considered  by  the  average  Chinese  as 
so  high.  The  possible  opportunities  for  making  money 
and  the  social  influence  thus  enjoyed  by  contact  with  the 
mission,  have  been  the  undoing  of  many  a  good  peasant 
and  honest  shop  clerk.  These  men  have  been  watched 
and  are  better  known  by  their  own  local  churches  than 
by  the  missionary.  Furthermore,  the  life  and  work  of 
native  preachers  and  evangelists  affect  the  churches,  more 
than  they  can  effect  the  missionary.  For  these  reasons 
there  ought  to  be  due  consideration  given  to  the  super- 
vision of  the  Chinese  churches  in  the  selection  of  candi- 
dates for  their  future  preachers  and  pastors.  The 
churches  would  make  mistakes,  but  so  also  would  the 
missionary.  The  Christians  would  gain  a  fund  of 
knowledge  and  experience  that  would  be  very  valuable 
for  all  future  development  in  their  church  life.  At  Kit- 
yang  the  missionary  does  not  ask  a  man  to  leave  his 
daily  occupation  and  offer  him  a  salary  to  preach  the 
gospel.  The  method  adopted  when  it  became  evident 
that  a  larger  number  of  men  would  be  needed  owing  to 
the  extension  of  work  into  Weichow  was  to  issue  a 
statement  to  all  the  churches  and  outstations,  giving 
them   the   facts    regarding  the  existing  conditions,  the 


360      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

opportunities  and  the  need  for  young  men  to  preach 
the  gospel.  Attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that  this 
was  a  serious  matter  and  one  which  concerned  the  wel- 
fare of  the  work  among  all  the  churches.  It  was  sug- 
gested that  all  the  Christians  continue  in  prayer  regarding 
this  matter  for  the  next  three  months  and  that  they  have 
a  sharp  lookout  in  their  churches  for  men  having  the  re- 
spect of  the  entire  church,  who  had  the  necessary 
spiritual  gifts  and  had  been  making  use  of  them.  They 
were  to  lay  the  important  subject  before  such  and  to  re- 
quest them  to  pray  about  the  matter  of  their  individual 
responsibility  to  this  great  need.  The  churches  and  mis- 
sion stations  entered  into  the  matter  with  a  seriousness 
of  purpose  that  plainly  showed  that  they  understood  the 
importance  of  having  the  right  men.  The  result  of  this 
effort  was  that  over  fifteen  young  men  offered  themselves 
for  the  gospel  ministry  and  entered  the  theological 
seminary  soon  after. 

Training  of  Native  Co-Workers 
There  are  three  classes  of  men  who  offer  themselves  for 
the  ministry  of  the  gospel :  young  men  who  have  re- 
ceived their  education  in  the  mission  boarding  schools ; 
Confucian  scholars  who  have  become  Christians  after 
they  have  studied  the  classics  for  a  number  of  years ;  and 
last  but  not  least,  the  peasants,  or  artisans,  who  by 
superior  spiritual  gifts  and  strong  personality  make  their 
influence  felt  in  their  own  churches  and  are  desirous  of 
taking  a  larger  share  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  kingdom. 
The  first  class  are  too  few  in  number  to  satisfy  the 
needs  of  a  growing  work.  But  the  few  that  do  enter  the 
active  ministry  always  take  prominent  rank.  As  the 
educational   system    is    enlarged   the    number   of    these 


Chinese  Preachers  361 

valuable  men  will  be  increased.     The  second  class,  the 
converted  Confucian  scholars,  constitute  very  valuable  co- 
workers if  they  are  spiritual  men.     These  are  able  to  pre- 
sent the  aims  and  purposes   of  the  church  to  a  class  of 
people  which  a  peasant  or  artisan  or  even  a  graduate  of 
a  mission   school    could   not  readily  reach.     The  third 
class,  peasants  and  artisans,  constitute  the  larger  number 
of  mission  workers,  and  for  the  present  it  is  well  that  this 
should  be  so.     The  Church  of  God  in  China  needs  men 
who  have  come  out  from  among  their  fellow  men  and  are 
able  to  witness  of  the  grace  of  God  and  the  power  of  the 
blood  of  Christ.     The  very  fact  that  they  are  known  as 
men  who  have   never  received  any  scholastic   training 
makes  them  all  the  more  a  marvel  among  their  friends 
and  acquaintances  as  they  explain  chapter  after  chapter 
of  the  word  of  God. 

The  training  in  the  theological  seminary  must  be  ad- 
justed to  the  needs  of  each  class  mentioned.     The  most 
difficult  to  train  is  the  Confucian  scholar,  who  is  obliged 
to   unlearn   so   much   of  that   which   is    unchristian  in 
thought  and  in  spirit.     But  even  though  these  scholars 
and  peasants  may  have  received  instruction  for  three 
years  in  the  Bible  school  they  still  need  a  further  course 
of  instruction  to  insure  a  constant  and  wholesome  growth. 
In  order  to  meet  that  want  missionaries  have  organized 
"  preachers'  institutes,"  of  which  every  native  co-worker 
is  a  member.     This  "  institute  "  may  meet  once  every 
two  months  for  systematic  Bible  study.     All  the  men  re- 
ceive a  certain  amount  of  Bible  work,  which  they  are  ex- 
pected to  prepare  during  the  intervening  two  months,  and 
then  give  the  results  of  their  work  during  the  sessions  of  the 
"  institute."     Not  only  are  the  preachers  thus  kept  from 
fossilizing,  but  these  gatherings  are  powerful  factors  for 


362       The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

mutual  help  to  all  the  men.  Young  preachers  who  have 
problems  on  their  hands  too  difficult  for  them  to  solve, 
receive  valuable  aid  from  the  more  experienced.  The 
social  needs  and  opportunities  which  these  gatherings 
offer  are  not  neglected. 

The  Joys,  Sorrows  and  Temptations  of  Chinese 
Pastors  and  Preachers 

It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  people  who  delight  in 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel  more  than  do  the  Chinese  at 
the  present  time.  There  is  a  real  danger  that  the 
preaching  of  the  Word  may  be  considered  most  impor- 
tant instead  of  holding  fast  to  the  truth  that  Christianity 
is  the  expression  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  through  the  be- 
lievers.    It  is  hfe  more  than  formal  doctrine. 

The  Chinese  have  expressed  their  moral  truths  in  con- 
crete phrases  and  proverbs  for  many  hundreds  of  years 
and  it  is  a  natural  thing  for  the  Christian  to  make  much 
use  of  a  similar  method  of  expression  for  Christian  truth. 
The  native  evangelists  glory  in  the  message  they  have  for 
their  fellow  men  and  their  enthusiasm  is  nothing  less  than 
contagious.  The  construction  of  the  Chinese  language 
both  in  its  conciseness  and  in  its  tonal  utterance  makes  it 
a  strong  ally  in  stirring  men  to  give  attention  to  the 
claims  of  the  new  religion.  The  writer  has  frequently, 
when  accompanied  by  two  or  more  Chinese  evangehsts, 
entered  eight  or  ten  different  towns  and  villages  in  one 
day  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  people,  and  rarely  has 
such  a  day  been  spent  without  some  distinct  advance  to 
the  cause.  The  lives  of  the  preachers  in  China  are  happy 
because  they  have  a  great  work  to  do  and  most  of  them 
are  doing  it.  Some  time  ago  a  preacher  came  to  the 
headquarters  at  Kityang  after  having  spent  the  whole 


Chinese  Preachers  363 

night  on  a  ferry  boat.  He  complained  that  his  fellow 
passengers  were  more  uncivil  than  any  he  had  ever  met. 
Further  conversation  on  the  subject  revealed  the  fact  that 
they  had  threatened  to  throw  him  overboard  because  he 
had  persisted  in  preaching  to  the  people  during  the  entire 
night !  He  could  not  sleep  on  a  moving  boat  and  so 
thought  to  make  the  best  use  of  his  time  and  opportunity. 
He  quoted  the  passage  of  our  duty  to  preach  "  in  season 
and  out  of  season."  His  case  is  but  an  illustration  of  the 
tremendous  efforts  the  thousands  of  evangelists  are  put- 
ting forth  this  day  in  the  land  of  China. 

The  office  of  pastor  and  preacher  over  a  congregation 
in  China  is  no  sinecure.  The  leader  is  made  responsible 
for  the  welfare  of  the  entire  flock.  In  time  of  trouble  be- 
tween Christians  and  heathen  it  is  the  preacher  who  is 
expected  to  make  peace,  and  if  he  fail  to  accomplish  this 
the  responsibility  is  his.  At  times  Christians  and  adher- 
ents will  urge  him  to  enlist  the  aid  of  the  foreign  mission- 
ary in  a  matter  where  he  knows  this  is  impossible.  They 
take  it  for  granted  that  if  the  preacher  is  on  intimate 
terms  with  the  missionary  the  latter  will  not  refuse  any 
request.  Should  the  preacher  decline  to  acquiesce  in 
their  request  they  take  it  as  an  affront  and  the  preacher 
has  lost  his  influence  over  them  for  the  time  being. 
Some  of  the  best  preachers  have  adopted  the  method  of 
compelling  the  men  who  are  urging  him  to  lay  the  case 
before  the  foreign  missionary  and  to  elicit  his  aid,  to  ac- 
company him  as  he  presents  the  matter  to  the  missionary. 
The  idea  is  this  :  they  know  beforehand  that  the  case  has 
no  concern  with  Christian  missions,  but  they  want  the 
leading  members  of  the  church  to  receive  the  benefit  of 
the  private  conversation  with  the  missionary  on  the  sub- 
ject of  what  constitutes  proper  and  improper  requests  to 


364      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

the  missionary  in  behalf  of  Christians  and  adherents.  It 
is  a  great  gain  to  have  these  men  get  the  right  perspec- 
tive of  this  important  question  and  uphold  the  preacher 
in  maintaining  the  highest  ideals  of  the  church. 

The  temptations  of  the  Chinese  pastors  and  preachers 
are  manifold.  Coming,  as  most  of  them  do,  from  humble 
homes,  they  are  likely  to  show  a  lack  of  poise  in  mind 
and  of  stalvvartness  in  character  that  is  necessary  for  the 
development  of  a  strong,  honest  ministry  of  the  gospel. 
It  is  surprising  at  times  to  note  how  easily  they  allow 
themselves  to  be  drawn  into  affairs  that  do  not  concern 
the  church  at  all.  They  will  get  into  unpleasant  conten- 
tions with  the  heathen  about  little  matters,  which  arouse 
the  passions  and  leave  ugly  results.  It  is  largely  a  lack 
of  sufficient  training  and  experience  in  life  that  makes 
these  things  possible.  Then  again,  many  of  the  preach- 
ers, having  been  poor  all  their  lives,  are  often  tempted 
to  avarice.  It  is  a  common  custom  throughout  South 
China  for  the  man  who  acts  as  an  arbiter  or  middle  man 
in  any  transaction  to  receive  some  reward  for  his  services. 
Chinese  preachers  are  constantly  requested  to  act  as 
arbiters,  but  inasmuch  as  they  receive  a  regular  salary, 
the  consensus  of  opinion  is  that  these  services  ought  to 
be  rendered  gratis  and  that  the  merit  of  such  service  ought 
to  redound  to  the  credit  of  his  position  or  of  the  church. 
This  would  not  be  the  case  if  the  preacher  accepted 
money.  These  cases  of  dispute  offer  temptations  to  our 
native  co-workers,  and  the  more  able  the  men  are  to  act 
as  arbiters  the  greater  the  opportunities  to  make  money. 
But  if  they  were  permitted  to  earn  money  in  this  way 
the  office  of  the  preacher  and  pastor  would  soon  de- 
generate into  a  means  of  making  money.  The  best 
safeguard  against  this  is  for  the  churches  to  pay  their 


Chinese  Preachers  365 

preachers  a  salary  sufficiently  large  to  enable  the  latter  to 
be  free  from  anxiety  in  the  support  of  their  families.  In 
return  for  this  it  is  just  that  all  his  time  given  to  the 
service  of  his  fellow  men  should  be  given  without  price. 
Another  temptation  along  the  same  line  comes  to  the 
native  preachers  by  reason  of  being  closely  connected 
with  the  foreign  missionary.  The  average  Chinese  credit 
the  missionary  with  more  political  influence  than  they 
have,  and  they  take  it  for  granted  that  the  native  preach- 
ers have  a  share  in  this  coveted  power.  It  has  occasion- 
ally happened  that  unscrupulous  preachers  have  entered 
the  Chinese  court  or  yamen  and  under  the  guise  of 
representing  the  missionary  have  opposed  the  sub- 
officials  and  yamen-helpers,  in  their  demands  for  ex- 
orbitant charges  and  urged  the  case  of  a  friend  or  fel- 
low Christian.  It  is  considered  perfectly  legitimate  for 
Confucian  scholars  and  literati  to  do  this  thing,  hence 
the  natural  conclusion  of  the  Chinese  that  the  preacher 
of  the  gospel,  in  order  to  be  •'  a  power  in  the  land  " 
should  as  a  teacher  make  use  of  his  influence  in  a  like 
manner.  But  besides  the  baneful  effect  this  would  have 
upon  the  office  of  the  ministry  itself,  it  also  stirs  up  the 
animosity  of  the  yamen  officials  against  the  Christian 
religion,  for  the  interference  on  the  part  of  the  preachers 
deprives  these  men  of  the  opportunity  of  squeezing 
money  out  of  the  litigators,  which  is  their  only  way  of 
making  a  living. 

Still  another  temptation  to  which  some  intelligent 
preachers  of  the  gospel  are  subjected  and  which  mars 
their  usefulness  is  the  assuming  of  the  superficial  airs  of 
the  Confucian  scholar.  This  is  more  due  to  the  moral 
make-up  of  the  individual,  however.  The  average 
preacher  of  the  gospel  in  China  is  a  manly  and  straight- 


366      The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

forward  Christian.  He  has  tremendous  forces  arrayed 
against  him,  but  he  is  fighting  under  the  banner  of  One 
who  shall  yet  conquer  over  every  power  and  principality 
opposing  His  rule.  Happy  the  foreign  missionary  who 
has  a  large  number  of  these  faithful  men  at  his  side. 
The  possibilities  of  their  influence  in  this  wonderful  day 
of  opportunity  in  China  is  unlimited.  Wherever  great 
things  are  wrought  on  the  mission  field  in  China  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  the  native  co-workers  have  made  the  re- 
sults possible. 


INDEX 


Ancestor  Worship,  38,  124,  133, 

139 
Ancient  Period,  29 
Anglo-Japanese  Alliance,  67 
Annals,  Book  of,  36 
Ashmore,  William,  1 14,  346 

Baptism,  choice  of  candidates,  241, 
249 

Black  Death,  outbreak  in  South 
China,  112 

Boycott,  of  American  goods,  59,  73 

Boxer  Movement,  20,  56,  137 

Bridgeman,  15 

British  East  India  Company,  hos- 
tility to  missions,  13,  87 

Buddhism  in  China,  41,  74 

Burns,  John,  travels  along  coast  of 
China,  314 

Call  to  missionary  service,  152 
Chang  Chih  Tung,  62 
China,  first  experiences  in,  33 
China,  government  of,  3off. 
China  Inland  Mission,  beginning, 

19 

China,  missionary  problem  in,  70 
China,  natural  characteristics  of  the 

country,  27 
China,  religious  liberty  in,  71 
Chinese,  ancient  discoveries  by,  35 
Chinese  Christians,  persecution  of, 

125,  132 
Chinese,  circumlocution  of,  149 
Chinese  history,  periods  of,  28 
Chinese  law,  crudeness  of,  103 
Chinese  literature,  36 
Chinese,  origin  of,  28 
Chinese,  patriotism  of,  63 
Chinese,  religion  of,  37 
Chinese,  social  life  of,  43 
Chou  Dynasty,  29-36 


Christianity,  Nestorians    introduce 

into  China,  76 
Christians,  superstition  of,  109 
Civil  service,  31 
Clan  fights,  47»  9 1,  133 
Compass,  invented  by  Chinese,  35 
Confucius,    17,  21,  29,  36,  42,  79, 

80,  123 
Cue,  reason  for  wearing,  65 

Dean,  15 

Demoniacal  possession,  instances  of 

apparent,  ii6fF 
Documents,  book  of,  36 
Dominicans,  79 
Dragon  Boat,  festival  of,  47 
Dyer,  15 

England,  relation  to  China,  57 
England,  war  with,  82 
English  language,  use  of,  58 
Extortion,  by  officials,  32,  92,  94 

Family  life  in  China,  193 
Feast,  Chinese,  45,  46 
Formosa,  conversions  in,  18 
France,  relation  to  China,  53 
Fu77g   Shui,  41,  44,  61,  64,  104, 
114 

Germany,  relation  to  China,  56 

Gibson,  J.  C,  37 

Goddard,  15 

Gracey,  American  consul  at  Fuchow, 

188 
Great  Wall,  29 
Gunpowder,  discovered  by  Chinese, 

35 
Gutzlaff,  15 

Han  Dynasty,  29,  35,  36,  49.  74 


367 


368 


Index 


Hart,  Sir   Robert,  submits  scheme 

of  reform  to  emperor,  62 
Hay,  John,  67 
Hepburn,  15 
Herr  von  Kettier,  56 

Idolatry,  132 
Introduction,  li 

Japanese-Chinese  War,  51,  66 
Japan,  distrusted  by  China,  69 
Japan,  relation  to  China,  50 
Jesuits,  banishment  from  China,  80 
Jesuits,  early  Protestant  missionaries 

confounded  with,  13 
Jews,  in  China,  75 

Kaifungfu,  Jewish  synagogue  in, 

76 
Kang  Hsi,  79,  80 
Kang  Yu  Wei,  Cantonese  reformer, 

182 
Kiaochau,  cession  of,  56 
Kityang,  22,  54,  60,  85, 92, 94, 106, 

112,  128 
Korea,  relation  to  China,  52 
Kublai  Khan,  51 
Kwang  Hsu,  reforms  of,  61 
Kwang  Hsu,  proclamations  of,  182 
Kwang  Su,  94 

Land  Tax,  102 

Lao  Tsze,  29,  39,  74 

Lawsuits,  aid  of  priests  in,  86 

Legendary  Period,  29 

Legge,  15 

Literati,  superstition  of,  107 

Lockhart,  15 

Manchuria,  converts  in,  18 
Manchurian  Dynasty,  30 
Manchus,  30,  37,  72,  92 
Martin,  W.  A.  P.,  37,  75 
Medhurst,  15 
Medieval  Period,  30 
Mencius,  29 
Milne,  15 
Ming  Dynasty,  30 
Missionaries,  criticism  of,  by  officials 
of  their  own  governments,  18 


Missionary,  relation  to  foreign  field, 
328,  339 

Missionary  service,  physical  re- 
quirements, 144  ;  mental,  146  ; 
spiritual,  152 

Missions,  beginning  of,  Chinese 
opposed  to,  12,  13,  17 

Missions  in  China,  results  of  early, 

14 
Mohammedans,  in  China,  76 
Money,  use  on  mission  field,  258-9 
Mongolian  Dynasty,  30,  78 
Morrison,    Robert,  begins   mission 

work  in  China,  ii,  87 
Mythological  Period,  28 

Nanchang,  cause  of  riot  at,  146 
Native  preachers,  temptations,  237 
Nestorians,  in  China,  76 
Nineteenth     Century,     history    of 
missions  in,  11-22 

Obstacles  to  becoming  a  Christian, 
religious,  123;  social,  124;  pe- 
cuniary, 125;  political,  126; 
moral,  126 

Officials,  superstition  of,  107 

Odes,  Book  of,  36 

Open  Door,  63,  67 

Opium,  trade  with  India,  57 

Opium  War,  15 

Paper,  discovered  by  Chinese,  35 
Persecution,  121,  123(1.,  I28ff. 
Plague,  1X2,  138 
Porcelain,  discovered  by  Chinese, 

35 

Reform  Movement,  21,  61,  72 

Reforms  necessary,  loi 

Ricci,  Mitteo,  78 

Ritual,  Book  of,  36 

Roman  Catholics,  missions  in  China, 

78 
Roman  Catholic  Missions,  success 

of,  86 
Roman  Catholic  Priests,  early  policy 

oi,  13;  given  political  status,  18, 

70,  83ff. 
Ruggiero,  Michael,  78 


Index 


369 


Russia,  relation  to  China,  53 

Shanghai  Conference,  first,  19 
Silk,  discovered  by  Chinese,  35 
Smith,  A.  H,,  quoted,  43 
Specifics,  evils  of,  265-267 
Stronach,  15 
Sung  Dynasty,  30 

T'AiPiNG  Rebellion,  57 

Tang  Dynasty,  30,  77 

Taoism,  39,  74 

Taxation  of  Christians,  action  by 

government,  343 
Taylor,  Hudson,  19 
Theatre  plays,  112,  120 
Theology,     relation     to      Chinese 

church,  251 


Three  Kingdoms,  30 
Toleration,  treaty  securing,  81 
Traditional  Period,  30 
Tseng  Kwo  Fan,  17 

United  States,  relation  to  China, 
59 

Viceroy  Tuan   Fong,  testimony 

for  missions,  16 1 
Village  life  in  China,  43ff, 
Village,  organization  of,  46 

Williams,  S.  Wells,  15 

Xavier,  Francis,  78 


DATE  DUE 

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